District of Columbia
New queer bar Revolt to join D.C.’s thriving LGBTQ nightlife scene
Revolt promises to bring inclusive, high-energy nightlife space to the U Street corridor.
Just in time for Labor Day weekend, a new LGBTQ bar will open on the corner of U and 14th streets, adding to the growing number of LGBTQ bars in Washington.
For the past 10 years, it was the location of Cloak & Dagger, a popular straight bar and dance club. Now it will be Revolt.
Revolt (1359 U St. NW) announced on Instagram on Monday that there would be a special “preview weekend” of D.C.’s newest queer bar before its official opening, complete with local DJs and drink specials.
The Blade was given a special early-access tour of the space led by Jonathon Rube, the head of operations for the bar. While the owner of the space is straight, Rube — who is in charge of all aspects of the space — is gay.
Despite the space not being large, with a capacity of 99, Rube’s plans for the bar are. He shared that in addition to the queer bar he described as “Vegas style” and “over-the-top,” he also has plans to create a dessert shop on the first floor called Crazy Banana, and a quick-service “late night bites” window to grab snacks after a night of dancing on the floor above.
The first thing Rube touched on when showing the space was its prime location on the corner of 14th and U Street — which, in the past three years, has become extremely queer with the opening of Bunker, Crush, District Eagle, Spark Social, and now Revolt.
“It just feels right,” Rube said. “You have a wide variety of people from all walks of life coming through here. And with the history of 14th and U… you want a balance between creating a gay mecca but at the same time, inspired by what the history of the street is.”
This corner has a lot of history — particularly for Black Washingtonians, as it was a major shopping and cultural hub known as “Black Broadway” in the early 1900s. He explained that acknowledging the location’s history was one of his goals — and he plans to continue to do so by hosting hip-hop nights at the bar.
“We’ll be doing a hip-hop night… hip-hop meets strip club,” he explained. He made it clear that the space will not solely cater to one group but rather be formed from a diverse lineup of gender identities and sexualities performing — with talent being at its center. “Male, female, drag, non-binary… people that know what they’re doing. In a perfect world the catwalk stage will open in the front where they can come down the stripper pole.”
Revolt is not stopping with the hip-hop–themed night; the weekly lineup includes Latin Thursday nights and Sapphic Saturdays. These themes, Rube said, are an attempt to make U Street’s newest queer bar for everyone.
At the time of the interview, construction of the bar — with a catwalk above the dance floor — was actively underway. Rube’s goal is to set it apart from other queer bars in the city through high-tech lighting and sound systems that he described as “Vegas meets D.C.”
“It’s like over the top with the lighting,” the former Las Vegas resident said. “That’s kind of where we go with this design… We just want to create that space where you have this amazing experience.”
While he did say he wants to stand out from other queer bars in the city, he also mentioned it’s not his intention to “step on anyone’s toes” by coming into the new gay stretch of U Street’s nightlife — but rather “complement” the spaces already there.
“What it really comes down to with corners like this, it reminds me of a West Hollywood little district area… You go over here because they have a good happy hour, and then get the next bar before their cover… just bouncing around. That’s what we want to be — that spot where people can bounce around.”
One way he is trying to do this is by making the drinks affordable with multiple happy hours and promotions, and having bartenders pre-batch their mixed shots.
“We’re not focused on mixology, even on our slower nights,” he said. “We’re very ‘vodka soda’ simple drinks… like Crush really focuses on the mixology and has a really nice setup. Again, we’re trying to complement, not compete.”
Another consideration Revolt is taking is including specialty mocktails for sober members of the community. He also shared plans for a wristband for designated drivers to get discounted alcohol-free drinks.
Another concern Rube touched on was safety.
“The hard part is, how do we create that space where people do feel comfortable and it becomes that haven,” he said. “Everybody within the LGBTQ+ community should have a safe space in any of these bars.”
One way he is attempting to make Revolt a safe space for all is through his unique approach to security that may look different from some of the other bars on the street.
“I’m not using outside security. I’m looking for security hosts versus security guards… security within our community, or [people] trained to understand our community.”
Rube explained that he wants everyone’s experience with Revolt to be a positive one.
“From the moment they come in to the moment they leave, they are having a good time, feel welcome, they feel acknowledged… And when they leave they get value from every aspect.”
District of Columbia
Over 2,000 turn out for Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest
Drag performer Tara Hoot serves as MC, Gay Men’s Chorus of DC performs, attendees shout for Trump to keep ‘hands off’ Kennedy Center
More than 2,000 supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts turned out on Sept. 18, for a rally in support of the performing arts center and a vocal protest against President Donald Trump’s threats to permanently close the center and possibly demolish it.
The event was organized by a group called Hands Off the Arts, which initially called for participants to form a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center’s main building following a rally on the plaza in front of the building.
However, due to a decision by the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center’s board of trustees to close the center earlier in the week and install fencing around part of the building, participants could only form the chain around part of the building, according to organizers.
Drag performer Tara Hoot, who co-organized the event and served as master of ceremonies for the rally preceding the “human chain,” said the large turnout could have fully surrounded the building at least twice had the fencing not prevented a full encirclement.
Among the musicians and singing groups that performed at the rally was the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which, like other rally performers, had performed at the Kennedy Center in past years. They drew loud applause after singing one of their favorite songs from the Broadway musical show Ragtime, which includes the lyrics, “Will justice be demanded by 10 million men? Make them hear you. When they hear you, I’ll be near you again.”
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Prior to their performance, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s artistic director, Thea Kano, spoke at the rally, reminding participants that shortly after the Trump takeover of the center last year, Kennedy Center officials cancelled a concert the chorus was scheduled to perform there for World Pride 2025.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson said the cancellation was due to a scheduling conflict, but chorus members and LGBTQ activists believe it resulted from policies put in place by Trump and his leadership team at the Kennedy Center following Trump’s statements that he would end controversial “woke” performances that he claimed the majority of Americans disapprove of.
“Now this building sits empty in silence,” Kano told the crowd at the rally. “Let us raise our voices together and bring back the Kennedy Center as it was intended, a place where American culture could be celebrated and elevated, embracing the vibrancy with the spectrum of identify without censure and without politics,” she said.
Among the others who spoke at the rally were U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), and D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large).
Most speakers, along with LGBTQ participants in the hands-around-the-building event expressed strong opposition to Trump’s demand that the Kennedy Center name be changed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
At Trump’s request, his appointed board initially made that name change and placed Trump’s name on the front wall of the building along with the Kennedy name. But following legal action taken by opponents who pointed out that Congress must approve such a name change, a judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building. Trump has said he will take steps to reverse that order and has said he will stop plans to renovate the Kennedy Center building and possibly demolish it if his name is not restored in the Kennedy’s Center’s official name.
Throughout the Sept. 18 rally, LGBTQ participants repeatedly responded to the Trump threats by shouting, “Hands Off!”
Chris Raleigh, one of the founders of Hands Off the Arts and a lead organizer of the Sept. 18 event at the Kennedy Center who spoke at the event told the Washington Blade that more similar events are being planned and he welcomes the support the event has received from the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBTQ community was here first, and we’re following them,” he said. “They’ve been the spearhead; they’ve been the vanguard. And I’m so thankful for heroes like Tara Hoot,” he said, adding, “It’s because they know what it means and how this is a safe place – the theater – for many LGBTQ people.”
The DMV’s own furry group was on full display on the Metro on Sept. 12.
Shutterpaws is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Maryland.
The furry group has been doing the FurRide event since 2024 and has blown up in popularity for furries around DMV. They showcased themselves on the Silver and Blue Lines near the Smithsonian on Sept. 12.
“A lot of careful planning goes into running these events, with the goal being a seamless and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends,” says Zayre, a Shutterpaws staff member. “There’s a lot that you learn just by trial and error, and as Shutterpaws hosts more and more events, our team of event organizers continues to learn and refine our approach to keep things running smoothly and finding new ways to engage with our community.”
With a larger growth of participation in the community comes many challenges with the group, especially when it comes to the Metro rides and organizing.
“The biggest challenge that we face as organizers is keeping things fresh and finding new and engaging venues to host events,” says Zayre. “Recently we saw a lot of success hosting a meet at On Target Battlezone, an indoor NERF gun battle arena where our crew was welcome to show up and play both with and without a fur suit.”
Nevertheless, Shutterpaws receive overwhelming support from the community and partners.
“Across the DMV there are so many amazing places to host a Shutterpaws event so we can pursue our mission of helping connect fur suiters and photographers, and we’re blown away with the amount of support we’ve received from our community partners,” says Zayre.
Shutterpaws plans to do more events for anyone in the DMV who is interested.
Their next event in collaboration with DC Fur Meet will take place at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.) on Saturday. Visit Shutterpaws’ website for more information.
District of Columbia
Hands Off the Arts to form ‘human chain’ around Kennedy Center
Drag performer Tara Hoot among event organizers
An organization called Hands Off the Arts has announced it is holding a protest on Friday, Sept. 18, in which between 400 and 800 participants are expected to create a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center to voice their strong objection to President Donald Trump’s call for possibly demolishing the Kennedy Center.
“Hands Off the Arts is organizing a rally Sept. 18 against the president’s defacing of JFK’s memorial, his removal and censorship of art, and the threat to demolish the center if he can’t remake the site in his image,” a statement released by the group says.
The statement says the event will start with a rally at 6:30 p.m. on the Kennedy Center steps and culminate with a “human chain” around the building. “There will be musical performances, testimonials from current and former employees, along with other special guest speakers,” it says
A separate announcement by the group says longtime D.C. drag performer Tara Hoot, who has performed at the Kennedy Center in past years, was among the organizers of the Sept. 18 protest.
The planned protest follows Trump’s decision last year to use his authority to replace the existing members of the Kennedy Center’s board of directors with new members loyal to him. Over the objection of longtime Kennedy Center supporters, the Trump-appointed board changed the name of the center, at Trump’s request, from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
But following the threat of legal action by opponents who pointed out that the name change could not be legally made unless approved by Congress, the name change was cancelled, with Trump saying he would take steps to restore it later.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports in a Sept. 13 news story that because of negative publicity related to Trump’s actions, the Kennedy Center was facing “fiscal collapse” and possible bankruptcy and could be forced to shut down as early as this week.
According to the Post report, a 57-page document presented to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees says the center was facing a financial and structural building crisis, with the recent collapse of part of the building’s inside ceiling, indicating the building was unsafe for employees and the public. Among other things, the document says the Kennedy Center may not be able to make payroll or pay for routine maintenance “within a matter of weeks,” the Post reports.
Some LGBTQ advocates were among those who joined others in boycotting the Kennedy Center to express their objections to Trump’s actions, including a statement by Trump that he objected to the Kennedy Center’s practice of hosting drag performances.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has been among the LGBTQ performing arts groups and artists that have performed at the Kennedy Center.
“With the future still very much uncertain, now more than ever, the Center needs you to stand up for freedom of expression and against authoritarian overreach into arts and culture institutions,” the Hands Off the Arts group says in its announcement of the Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest.
“You have the opportunity to make a difference — show up with Hands Off the Arts and show your power as part of Hands Around the Kennedy Center,” it says.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
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