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I’m the son of two dads who grew up seeing them go to the Hippo.”Īt Leon’s, a dimly lit rectangle of a bar in Mount Vernon known for its “heavy pours,” two-for-one daily happy hour and a motley crew of gay male clientele, the mood has been somber, though business has remained steady. I never thought I would see that,” Keens said. “The beginning of the end was when the Hippo turned into a CVS. “We’re trying to be a refuge for the drag community for sure and an LGBTQ safe space for everyone else as well.”Īnd while Point South has been extremely successful in their drag events - almost all of them sell out - Keens said it’s still sad to see the crumbling of gay establishments in the city. This is the home of Divine and ‘Hairspray,’” Keens said. The drag community can’t be allowed to fizzle out in Baltimore. “Supporting local drag is important to us. 2016, due in large part to the closing of Club Hippo, according to Bryson Keens, managing partner of the Fells Point restaurant that specializes in Latin cuisine. Point South Latin Kitchen has been throwing successful drag brunches and bingo nights since Sept. “If it becomes just a regular bar - something that you can find in Canton or Fells Point? No, I will not support that,” Chavis said.Īs dedicated gay bars have dwindled, other establishments have been filling the void with events like drag shows and gay nights. And he bristles at the thought of Grand Central turning into a straight establishment. Still, Chavis wishes that he could have more gay clubs to frequent. And when they go out, chances are you’ll find them at The Brewer’s Art or Owl Bar. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration opened an investigation into the incident and concluded that the bar had operated in a way that was “conducive to unlawful conduct” on June 13.Take Chavis for example. The incident has also prompted a government investigation. At the time of the initial protests, Nellie’s did not respond to them.’s multiple requests for comment. The bar has not released any public statements since. In the wake of the initial incident, the bar issued a statement saying that it had fired the “independent security contractor” who assaulted Young and that the business would be closed for the next several weeks while management investigated the situation. Green, who is co-conductor of the Black-led community defense group Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, also stated that some - but not all - protesters wanted Nellie’s to be closed permanently and converted into a community center run for and by the Black LGBTQ+ community. Keisha Young is just one of many to suffer from the gentrification of D.C.’s Black queer spaces.
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According to the Blade, protesters have been assembling outside Nellie’s nearly every Saturday night since the initial protests, despite the bar’s closure.
#CLOSED WASHINGTON DC GAY BARS FULL#
One of the organizers of Tuesday’s protest, Makia Green, laid out a list of demands: a full public apology from Nellie’s, the release of the tape of the June 13 incident, and the establishment of “public listening sessions” between the bar’s management and community. But according to activists, little has changed in the intervening years. Mitchum has been protesting Nellie’s since 2017, when he penned an open letter asking for accountability and an end to the bar’s anti-Black legacy. “In my experience, the one thing that connects many, many white communities is white supremacy, even from people I ordinarily agree with politically. “I'm not surprised by how Nellie's reacted because I'm not surprised how white supremacist ideology shows up even from supposed progressives,” said Mitchum, an attorney and co-chair of Collective Action for Safe Space (CASS). that Nellie’s has a long history of security guards displaying more aggression towards Black patrons than white ones. Preston Mitchum, who co-organized the initial protests, told them. Local community organizers echoed Young’s sentiment. “I’m just happy that it didn’t escalate too far and that I’m still here in my pain and grief still able to tell my story and get justice.” “I’m feeling a little humiliated to have went viral being assaulted by a Black man who should be protecting me,” she wrote.