Licht Café, D.C.’s Newt Gay Bar, Is a Cozy, Art-Filled U Street Hiaway

TOWN, DC’S LARGT GAY BAR, IS CLOSG. WHAT DO MEAN?
LICHT CAFé, D.C.’S NEWT GAY BAR, IS A COZY, ART-FILLED U STREET HIAWAY
GAY BARS, RIP
LOST AND FOUND: THE LBIAN AND GAY PRENCE AT THE ARCHIV OF AMERIN ART
THE GAY WAY: HISTORY OF LBIAN BARS SOUTHEAST WASHGTON, D.C.
LICHT CAFé, D.C.’S NEWT GAY BAR, IS A COZY, ART-FILLED U STREET HIAWAY

TOWN, DC’S LARGT GAY BAR, IS CLOSG. WHAT DO MEAN?

Town, the massive gay dance club Shaw, announced last week that will close next summer after mors to the ntrary. The owner sold to a veloper who plans to build an apartment buildg s place. What do Town closg mean for the cy’s gay muny? Contributors agree that the “gayborhood” isn’t gog anywhere, but won’t look the same the future. * lost and found gay bar washington dc *

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. It took nearly three years of learng how to dance at the club off South Capol Street for the baby-faced Short to ga the self-assurance to tell his fay he's gay.

He was already meetg gays elsewhere the cy and said he no longer need to be at the nightclub to feel special.

But the past month, he and others have started g back to mark the fal days of a place that for most of the past 15 years was a hub for many the area's gay muny. And never before had so many gays and straights, women and men, blacks and wh, met unr one roof to dance. The club's rise and mise reflect the expansn of social life for gay men and lbians the cy.

Owner Spencer Hurd moled Licht after his favore gay fé Mannheim, Germany * lost and found gay bar washington dc *

Gay magaze that foc on arts and entertament. Only a handful of gay dance clubs existed the District, and a few bars set a small space asi for dancg.

Fridays and Saturdays were primarily whe gay men.

Sundays brought black gays, and Tudays were rerved for lbians. "It was a ltle b shockg, " said Carrn-Sague, who grew up Catholic Puerto Ri, where she heard sermons about the sfulns of homosexualy.

GAY BARS, RIP

* lost and found gay bar washington dc *

Nightclubs that weren't tradnally patronized by gays started advertisg lol gay publitns.

Gays uld be open rtrants, ffeeho and loung Geetown, Capol Hill and Adams-Man.

LOST AND FOUND: THE LBIAN AND GAY PRENCE AT THE ARCHIV OF AMERIN ART

The natn's pal is home to a lively LGBTQ nightlife scene wh plenty of gay and lbian bars jt wag for you to drk, dance and play. Disver DC's bt spots. * lost and found gay bar washington dc *

And the Inter ma possible to chat wh other gays round-the-clock and around the world. "The world has changed so gay people n go and experience more, " Bailey said.

THE GAY WAY: HISTORY OF LBIAN BARS SOUTHEAST WASHGTON, D.C.

Velvet, he said, is perceived as a place for fashnable and ser clubbers who are primarily gay men, whereas Tracks is an "everyone" place. It was his first nightclub and the first place where he felt tly fortable beg gay. Town, the massive gay dance club Shaw, announced last week that will close next summer after mors to the ntrary.

I me out twelve years ago, and like many queer kids DC, I sought out gay bars as a refuge. Yet many of the plac I equented are gone: Phase 1 Barracks Row, Apex Dupont Circle, Ins Fairfax (which wasn’t a gay bar, but hosted a lot of drag shows), not to mentn all of the LGBT clubs Navy Yard that closed to make way for Natnals Park over a ago.