D.C.'s Bt Gay Bars and Hangouts - Eater DC

Contents:

• THE U STREET CORRIDOR FALLY HAS A GAY CLUB AGA
• SECRET CY: THE HIDN HISTORY OF GAY WASHGTON
• D.C. GAY CLUBS' VANISHG TURF
• D.C.'S BT GAY BARS AND HANGOUTS
• ‘THE REAL VILLA IS THE CLOSET’: A NEW HISTORY OF GAY WASHGTON DEALS WH SOCIETY AS IT TLY WAS
• D.C. GAY NIGHTCLUB COBALT CLOS WH LTLE WARNG

THE U STREET CORRIDOR FALLY HAS A GAY CLUB AGA

Bunker, a subterranean gay club, opened s massive doors to live DJ sets on Thursday, Febary 23.

In the past three years, all of the cy’s siar clubs have closed, cludg Cobalt, Secrets, DC Eagle, and the largt gay dance club D. While Bunker is the first bona fi gay club D. RIP Gay BarsCi around the untry and globe have seen many of their most beloved gay and lbian waterg hol close down — often after the area's queer populatn dispers or the owner simply gets priced out.

[RELATED: 26 Dead (Or Dyg) Gay Bars NYC, L. The Crew Club, which has operated as a gym, sna and bathhoe for gay men the natn’s pal for 25 years, will close s doors for good at s Logan Circle area lotn on Febary 29, acrdg to s founr and -owner DC Allen. Secret Cy is not gay history.

SECRET CY: THE HIDN HISTORY OF GAY WASHGTON

For s, the specter of homosexualy hnted Washgton. The mere suggtn that a person might be gay stroyed reputatns, end reers, and ed liv. At the height of the Cold War, fear of homosexualy beme tertwed wh the growg threat of ternatnal munism, leadg to a purge of gay men and lbians om the feral ernment.

D.C. GAY CLUBS' VANISHG TURF

Begng wh the tragic story of Sumner Well, Frankl Delano Roosevelt’s brilliant diplomatic advisor and the man at the center of “the greatt natnal sndal sce the existence of the Uned Stat, ” Jam Kirchick illumat how homosexualy shaped each succsive printial admistratn through the end of the twentieth century. Cultural and polil anxiety over gay people sparked a s-long wch hunt, impactg everythg om the rivalry between the CIA and the FBI to the ascent of Joseph McCarthy, the stggle for Black civil rights, and the rise of the nservative movement. Among other revelatns, Kirchick tells of the World War II–era gay spymaster who pneered sctn as a tool of Amerin pnage, the voted ai whom Lyndon Johnson treated as a son yet abandoned once his homosexualy was disvered, and how allegatns of a “homosexual rg” ntrollg Ronald Reagan nearly railed his 1980 electn victory.

In the 1960s, the Metropolan Capal, a Black LGBTQ social club, anized hoe parti for Ain Amerin gay and lbian Washgtonians.

Faced wh discrimatory practic or outright rejectn by the Whe gay muny’s bars and clubs, Ain Amerins socialized hom, addg their own flavor to a long tradn the larger Ain Amerin muny. As John Eddy said, “We wanted to give the muny—total—gay as well as the straight—somethg different the cy, a place to e, relax, and party.

D.C.'S BT GAY BARS AND HANGOUTS

It was out of the way, a rintial, predomantly Ain Amerin neighborhood, far om the downtown Whe gay life. Though many Whe gay tablishments discrimated agast Black ctomers, the ClubHoe was open to all.

‘THE REAL VILLA IS THE CLOSET’: A NEW HISTORY OF GAY WASHGTON DEALS WH SOCIETY AS IT TLY WAS

In October 1979 the ClubHoe held a rally and ball to raise beneftg the first Natnal Third World Lbian and Gay Conference at Howard Universy. That ternatnal nference brought together about 500 participants and cid wh the first Natnal March on Washgton for Lbian and Gay Rights. Then on Friday, July 3, 1981, the begng of July 4th weekend, the New York Tim published “Rare Cancer Seen 41 Homosexuals” by Lawrence Altman.

The ClubHoe provid space for early and ntug AIDS-related work for Black gay Washgtonians.

When the DC Coaln of Black Gays anized an AIDS Fom for Black and Third World Gays njunctn wh Whman Walker Clic September 1983, the ClubHoe hosted the fom—the first signifint outreach om the public health muny to the Black LGBTQ muny. Even though the broar ClubHoe muny rallied to support their club, and Black gay social clubs, Bt of Washgton and the Associat among others, raised money to help keep the doors open, the club’s managers realized s n as a premier nightspot was g to an end.

D.C. GAY NIGHTCLUB COBALT CLOS WH LTLE WARNG

The DC Coaln of Black Gays anized 1978. Though the lights went out after Children’s Hour on Memorial Day weekend 1990, the followg Memorial Day, the first DC Black Gay Pri celebratn opened at Banneker Field down the road om the ClubHoe.

As Children’s Hour had, DC Black Gay Pri draws celebrants om across the untry and around the world. As midnight approached, a trail of men filtered to the movie theater to watch X-rated gay movi and eye each other a warren of dimly l loung.