We have all sorts of people and all sorts of personalities,” says DJ and nightlife entrepreneur, Ed Bailey. 'DC’s LGBTQ+ community is truly remarkable. The question of whether every place can now be considered safe in DC for queer people remains, but an ongoing shift is unmistakable as the LGBTQ+ community has begun to stake out their own space within more traditional watering holes, with outdoor beer garden Dacha, the trendy Takoda, and the bumping nightclub Flash as prime examples. Is it such a bad thing though? With each closure comes the inevitable, “where to now?” And the new answer seems to be: everywhere. Dupont Circle, once defined as the city’s gayborhood, is seemingly hanging on by a thread.
Over the past few decades, countless openings, promising re-openings, and disappointing closings have taught us to expect the unexpected.
The DC LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to change.
