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At a lot of gay clubs, restrooms are unisex, or the women’s room doesn’t really get used, so a guy might go in without any fuss. At one of the first events at Rock & Roll Hotel in 2009, one gay man went into the women’s restroom. Initially, there were some cultural sensitivity issues. “When you stepped in, all expectations went away.”
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“It was kind of key that it needed to be a non-gay bar,” Van Horn says. The parties continue to rotate locations, including places like DC9, Rock & Roll Hotel, the Howard Theatre, and 9:30 Club. Their first event took place at a now-closed Eritrean restaurant called Dahlak at 18th and U streets NW. “Not just alternative music, but alternative space was really important to us,” Van Horn says. In 2008, Van Horn and fellow DJ Matt Bailer launched a monthly gay dance party called Mixtape. to regularly bring gay parties to non-gay venues. DJ and party host Shea Van Horn (who has DJed Washington City Paper events) was among the first in D.C. In other instances, not-specifically-gay bars have gained a following among queer people because of regular gay-targeted events there. “It has gotten a reputation over the years as a gay bar because gays are comfortable there,” Quillian Helms says. Henry’s still does not label itself a gay bar. While the tradition of diverse hiring continues today, Mr. He also welcomed other groups that were discriminated against at the time, including black people and deaf people. Henry’s had gay employees back in a time when gays had a hard time finding work,” Quillian Helms says. Henry’s was not labeled as a gay bar, Yaffe did welcome everyone-not just as patrons, but as staff. He called it his “dancing parlor for boys,” according to Quillian Helms.) And while Mr. (Yaffe did, however, own a gay bar at one point named Victoria Station on 14th Street NW. Henry’s as a gay bar, nor did he ever call it a gay bar,” says current co-owner Mary Quillian Helms, whose father took over the place in 1971. Henry’s on Capitol Hill, which was founded in 1966 by a gay man named Henry Yaffe. It’s just been one of those things that’s just happened.” “I’d say seven of the 10 were gay couples. Lucca says 1905 has hosted about 10 wedding receptions or ceremonies over the years. “It was kind of widely known that I’m gay-friendly and the restaurant’s gay-friendly and open to everyone.” Plus, the roof deck has helped the restaurant position itself as an alternative to Nellie’s Sports Bar up the street. “So, that was kind of how some of my original friendship group grew,” he says. When he moved to D.C., he happened to move in with a gay roommate. Co-owner Tony Lucca is straight, but he did grow up in Provincetown, Mass., “a gay mecca of the Northeast,” he says.
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Just a few blocks away, 1905 has also attracted a notably gay crowd without ever calling itself a gay bar. You’ll see it on the bar’s Facebook page, with occasional photos of shirtless men or posts like “Sunday Funday Best place in DC to plan a gayby!” The beer garden will also have double-decker bus in the Capital Pride parade and plans to decorate its outdoor patio in rainbow bunting next week. Just as importantly, Dacha has gone above and beyond to embrace its gay customer base. (The actress raised awareness and money for HIV/AIDS treatment at the nearby Whitman-Walker health center on 14th Street NW, which is named in her honor.) The beer garden’s location in Shaw, home to a significant gay population, is another factor in its appeal, Chekaldin suggests. He mostly credits the mural of a young Taylor, who was chosen to grace the wall as a nod to the gay community. It doesn’t hurt that the owners of Dacha, Chekaldin and Ilya Alter, are gay, but Chekaldin doesn’t think that’s the main reason the place has become a gay destination. It’s also creating an even fuzzier notion of what it means to be a gay bar and what the role of such places should be. The rise of such gay straight bars is the product of an ever more accepting culture, especially in D.C., which boasts some of the most comprehensive queer rights legislation in the country. Henry’s, to name a few, have never advertised themselves as gay hubs, but that hasn’t stopped them from building-and embracing-gay followings. Places like 1905 Bistro & Bar, the Black Cat, and Mr. Throughout D.C., there are several bars that, like Dacha, don’t specifically label themselves as “gay bars” but are widely frequented by LGBTQ residents.