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Drinkery re-opens after liquor board reversal

‘A great day for Mount Vernon’

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The Drinkery, gay news, Washington Blade
The Drinkery, gay news, Washington Blade

Baltimore’s Drinkery has re-opened. (Photo by Steve Charing)

Just two weeks after the Baltimore City Board of Liquor License Commissioners voted 2-1 to close The Drinkery, a gay bar in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, the decision was reversed on June 2.

Those protesting the license renewal at the hearing on May 19 complained about alleged rowdiness, excessive noise, drug activity and violence in and around the establishment, which has operated for 44 years. This was presented through a signed petition; letters sent to the board by residents, nearby businesses and local politicians; and testimony at the hearing.

Commissioners Dana Peterson Moore and Albert J. Matricciani had voted not to renew The Drinkery’s liquor license; Aaron Greenfield voted for renewal.

In declaring her vote then, Moore stated, ā€œWhat matters are the factsā€ and cited ā€œcontempt by the owner toward the community.ā€

However, it was Moore who reversed her decision on June 2 following a motion for reconsideration by The Drinkery’s 87-year-old owner Frederick Allen.

According to the Baltimore Sun, ā€œAllen’s motion noted that Jason Curtis, who signed a petition and testified against the Drinkery in the May 19 hearing, is listed on the liquor license of another Mount Vernon establishment, Hotel Indigo. The board’s rulesĀ specify thatĀ a protest against a licenseĀ renewal can be signed by ā€œresidents,Ā commercial tenants (who are not holders or applicants for a liquor license), or real estate owners in the immediate vicinity of the licensed place of business.ā€

The Sun stated that Curtis’ failure to disclose his liquor license was sufficient to change the board’s mind. Curtis, who was the former president of the Mount Vernon-Belvedere Association that led the effort to prevent The Drinkery’s license renewal and in 2012 ran unsuccessfully to be the first openly gay man to be elected to the City Council, did not respond to a request from the Blade for comment.

The Community Law Center, which represented the MVBA in its efforts against The Drinkery, could appeal the decision, according to the Sun.

News of the reversal was welcomed by many in Baltimore’s LGBT community. ā€œThis is a great day for an inclusive Mount Vernon, Mark McLaurin, a Baltimore resident and a frequent patron of The Drinkery, told the Blade. ā€œSpecial thanks to Commissioners Moore and Greenfield for being willing to reconsider a hastily reached decision.ā€

Another customer, RJ Ladd, lamented the loss of gay bars in Baltimore. ā€œI’m glad that the liquor board reconsidered the matter. Our gay bars are a dying breed. Let’s keep the remaining few around,ā€ he said.

The Drinkery re-opened on Saturday at 11 a.m. to much relief and jubilance by its patrons.

However, there had been considerable disquiet and finger pointing following the initial vote to close the bar. Community members were angry that three gay men testified to close the longtime gay establishment.

ā€œThe gay men who organized the efforts to close The Drinkery created a lot discord and distrust in the community,ā€ activist Brian Gaither told the Blade. ā€œTo get their way they exploited anti-gay prejudice in a way that undermines decades of work by activists in the city. The whole thing is shameful and appalling.ā€

In a statement dated June 6, the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association explained the rationale for their protest of the license renewal.

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Maryland

A Baltimore theater educator lost jobs at Johns Hopkins and the Kennedy Center

Tavish Forsyth concluded they could not work for Trump

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Tavish Forsyth, a queer artist and educator, posted a nude video on YouTube in protest of the Trump administration’s takeover of the Kennedy Center earlier this year. (Photo by Jessica Gallagher for the Baltimore Banner)

BY WESLEY CASE | Tavish Forsyth had come to a conclusion: They could not work for President Donald Trump.

So the 32-year-old Baltimore resident stripped down, turned on their camera, and lit their career on fire.

ā€œF—— Donald Trump and f—— the Kennedy Center,ā€ a naked Forsyth, an associate artistic lead at the Washington National Opera’s Opera Institute, which is run by the Kennedy Center, said in a video that went viral. The board of the nation’s leading cultural institution had elected Trump just weeks prior as its chairman after he gutted the board of members appointed by his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

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District of Columbia

Little Gay Pub to host April 25 celebration of life for Patrick Shaw

School teacher, D.C. resident praised for ā€˜warmth, humor, kindness’

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Patrick Shaw (Photo via GoFundMe)

Co-workers and friends will hold a celebration of life for highly acclaimed schoolteacher and D.C. resident Patrick Shaw beginning at 5:30 p.m. Friday, April 25 at The Little Gay Pub 1100 P St., N.W.

Little Gay Pub co-owner and Shaw’s friend, Dusty Martinez, said Shaw passed away unexpectedly on April 19 from a heart related ailment at the age of 60.

ā€œPatrick touched so many lives with his warmth, humor, kindness, and unmistakable spark,ā€ Martinez said. ā€œHe was a truly special soul – funny, vibrant, sassy, and full of life and we are heartbroken by his loss.ā€

In an Instagram posting, Shaw’s colleagues said Shaw was a second-grade special education teacher at the J.F. Cook campus of D.C.’s Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School.

ā€œPatrick brought warmth, joy, and deep commitment to Mundo Verde,ā€ his colleagues said in their posting. ā€œHis daily Broadway sing-alongs, vibrant outfits, and genuine love for his students filled our community with energy and laughter.ā€

The posted message adds, ā€œPatrick was more than a teacher; he was a light in our school, inspiring us all to show up with heart, humor, and kindness every day. His spirit will be deeply missed.ā€

The Washington Blade is preparing a full obituary on Patrick Shaw to be published soon. 

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District of Columbia

D.C. police seek help in identifying suspect in anti-gay threats case

Victim threatened with assault, called ā€˜faggot’ as he left Capitals game

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D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera.

D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a male suspect whose image was captured by a video surveillance camera after he allegedly shouted anti-gay slurs and threatened to assault a man at 6th and H Streets, N.W. on March 20 at about 9:54 p.m.

A police report says the victim told police the incident took place shortly after he exited the nearby Capital One Arena where he had attended a Washington Capitals hockey game.

The police report says the incident began when the victim saw the suspect yell a racist slur at a person behind the victim and started to berate a valet operator.

ā€œSuspect 1 then turned his attention to Victim 1 and called him a ā€˜faggot’ among other homophobic slurs,ā€ the report says. It says the victim then used his phone to record the suspect, prompting the suspect to walk away before returning and ā€œsnatchingā€ the phone from the victim’s hand.

ā€œSuspect 1 walked several feet as Victim 1 followed, requesting his phone back,ā€ the report continues. ā€œSuspect 1 stopped and turned to Victim 1 and while yelling other obscenities exclaimed ā€˜if you keep recording, I’m going to kick your ass.ā€™ā€ The report concludes by saying the victim was able to recover his phone.

It lists the incident as a ā€œThreats To Do Bodily Harmā€ offense that is a suspected hate crime.

ā€œAnyone who can identify this suspect or has knowledge of this incident should take no action but call police at 202-727-9099, or text your tip to the Department’s TEXT TIP LINE at 50411,ā€ according to a separate police statement released April 23.

The statement says police currently offer an award of up to $1,000 to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment of the person or persons responsible for a crime committed in D.C.

D.C. police spokesperson Tom Lynch said the case has been under investigation since the incident occurred on March 20. He said the video image of the suspect, most likely obtained from a security camera from a nearby business, was released to the public as soon as it was obtained and processed through the investigation.

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