Town, DC’s largt gay bar, is closg. What do mean? – Greater Greater Washgton

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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.

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

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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.

LICHT CAFé, D.C.’S NEWT GAY BAR, IS A COZY, ART-FILLED U STREET HIAWAY

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

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. Gay magaze that foc on arts and entertament.

GAY BARS, RIP

Wh our LGBT gui to Washgton, DC, disver all the bt lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr bars, clubs, nightlife and more * lost and found gay bar washington dc *

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. 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. Velvet, he said, is perceived as a place for fashnable and ser clubbers who are primarily gay men, whereas Tracks is an "everyone" place.

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

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. When Town opened 2007, the sleek, warehoe-style club seemed out of place at 8th and Florida, far om DC’s tradnal “gayborhood” on 17th Street.

But did lead the gay muny’s shift further east towards Shaw, herg a new generatn of bars, like Dirty Goose, Takoda, and Uproar. 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.

LICHT CAFé, D.C.’S NEWT GAY BAR, IS A COZY, ART-FILLED U STREET HIAWAY

Town was the first gay bar I ever vised, but I met my boyiend of the last three years at a (straight) bar.

All that said, I hope that the owners of Town follow the lead of DC Eagle and Secrets, which found new hom so they uld ntue to wele both people at a gay bar for their first time and people who experience every week. Canaan Merchant noticed a siary between gay venu and DIY mic venu:. Obvly sucks to lose a well-loved place but at the same time…I don't thk the actual activy (whether s gay bar or DIY mic shows) is disappearg necsarily though the landspe is certaly changg.

Tracy Loh says ’s no surprise that Town led to other velopment, cg the example of other “gayborhoods. A lot has been wrten before about the role of gay “pneers” jumpstartg growth property valu by crementally vtg real tate and muni. A muny wh a lot of disvtment but historil charm, gay people are the only on not racist or otherwise prejudiced enough/sperate enough for a place to stake a claim to see the value opportuny and have the risk-tolerance to act on , and so a gayborhood is born.

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Gay Bars, RIP - Washgton Cy Paper .

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