A Timeline of LGBT Places and Spaces in D.C.

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Prior to 1960 Leading up to 1960 the LGBT community faced a number of discriminatory acts from federal and local government. Congress passed a law outlawing sodomy in D.C. Under the Lavender Scare the federal government fired gay individuals en masse.



Despite this, there were a number of LGBT spaces across D.C. to provide community and support. Nob Hill , one of D.C.'s longest continuously operating gay bars and one of the oldest African-American gay bars in the country, opened in 1957.



These weren't wholly safe places, however. Uptown Restaurant and Gayety Buffet were both raided by the Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Squad.

The '60s LGBT activism moved more to the public forefront starting in the 1960s. The Mattachine Society of Washington, which assisted federal employees and residents targeted for their sexuality, was formed. The Washington Blade, America’s oldest LGBT newspaper, began in 1969. More clubs, publications, and services catered directly to the LGBT community.



Barracks Row became an important part of the LGBT community. Plus One was the 'first gay-owned bar to offer same-sex dancing', essentially breaking the owner ban on dancing. Jo-Anna's also contributed to 'the initiation of dancing in DC gay bars on a regular basis.' Down the street Guild Press published gay travel guides, gay fiction, physique magazines, and local newspaper Gay Forum. The press and publisher would be convicted of obscenity.



The Washington Free Clinic , started at Georgetown Lutheran, became the first place to provide STD counseling to gay men. This would lead to the Gay Men's VD Clinic, a precursor to Whitman-Walker clinic.

The '70s In the 1970s LGBT community created a huge footprint across D.C. The Rainbow History Project records over 150 places opening, nearly five times that which opened in the 1960s. Dupont Circle, Barracks Row and South Capitol Street solidified as LGBT gathering centers.



Bookstores for the LGBT community sprung up across D.C. in the 1970s. Some, like Village Books , were adult bookstores. Others, like Lambda Rising and Lammas , provided not only gay literature but crucial space for activism and community gatherings. The owner of Lambda Rising Books, L. Page “Deacon” Maccubbin, organized the first annual pride celebrations in 1975.



Gay collectives also emerged in the 1970's as an important force in gay activism. The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) formed in 1970 with a group house that provided an early meeting place for activist actions. The Furies Collective had a profound impact on lesbian feminism through their national publication, the Furies, and through pushing the National Organization of Women to recognize lesbians.



Areas of D.C.'s Southwest and Southeast quadrants, centered around South Capitol Street, became an active nightlife scene for the LGBT community in the 1970's. Pier Nine was one of the first gay dance clubs around South Capitol Street, a "relatively isolated location, it gave us a sense of security that more in-town locations couldn’t." Many bars and clubs would follow.

The '80s The 1980s saw a slowdown in LGBT spaces from the previous decade, with just over 80 new sites added to The Rainbow History Project.



In 1986 J.R.'s Bar & Grill hosted the first High Heel Drag Queen Race, a D.C. institution.



Barracks Row and Pennsylvania Avenue SE remain a vibrant LGBT scene, but faced harassment from Marines at the Barracks. Equus , a gay club that opened in 1980, reported six incidents by Marines including broken windows, shouting slurs, threatening patrons, and assault. Years later in 1997, when Equus became Remington's, Marines threw tear gas into the bar.



The LGBT community was deeply impacted by the AIDS epidemic, both through sickness and stereotype. MPD was strongly criticized when, during a 1987 raid of gay bar Cheers , they donned "surgical masks and rubber gloves" for fear of contracting AIDS. LGBT community places provided safe spaces and support. Nob Hill, one of the country's oldest gay bars, hosted the first AIDS forum in the African-American community. Some religious groups, also active in 1970's civil rights and anti-war activism, gave their support. The Quaker House established the HIV Coffeehouse, one of the first social refuges for those with AIDS. St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church provided a home for the Gay Men's Counseling Collective, which later combined with the Gay Men's VD Clinic, started at Georgetown Lutheran Church , to form the Whitman-Walker Clinic, the foremost provider of AIDS services in the region.

The '90s The 1990s continued the slowdown in new LGBT spaces, as recorded in the Rainbow History Project, but also saw the opening of Green Lantern and Cobalt , clubs that continue to be popular today. Concert venues like the 9:30 club , which relocated in 1996 from 930 F St NW to its current location, and The Black Cat , hosted events and nights for the LGBT community. Same-sex sexual activity was finally decriminalized in 1993, after a previous vote to do so in 1981 by the City Council was overturned by Congress.