Local
D.C. gay bar patrons welcome proof of vaccination requirement
Eight of city’s 12 LGBTQ bars require vax or proof of negative COVID test
The overwhelming majority of patrons of the eight D.C. gay bars that announced earlier this month that patrons must show proof that they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition for being admitted have expressed support for the vaccination policy, according to employees and patrons of the bars.
The decision by the eight bars to require either proof of vaccination or proof that a potential customer has tested negative for the coronavirus within the previous three days came shortly after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order reinstating the city’s requirement that face masks must be worn inside all businesses and other establishments open to the public, including bars and restaurants. The order took effect July 31.
The mayor’s order applies to all vaccinated and unvaccinated people over the age of two.
Nightlife sources have said the number of patrons appeared to have declined to some degree in early August at most of the city’s 12 LGBTQ bars, including the eight that adopted the vaccination requirement. But some associated with the bars, including David Perruzza, owner of Pitchers and lesbian sports bar A League of Her Own, which operate in the same building in Adams Morgan, said August is normally the slowest month of the year for bars and other nightlife businesses.
Others familiar with the city’s nightlife establishments have said the newly established mask requirement — rather than vaccination requirements — appeared to initially discourage some people from going out to bars and restaurants. Those familiar with nightlife establishments said regular customers quickly returned to their favorite bars and restaurants after realizing that the mask requirement does not apply to people who are “actively” eating or drinking at an establishment.
According to sources who spoke with the Washington Blade, business appeared to be booming at most of the D.C. queer bars this past weekend.
In addition to Pitchers and A League of Her Own, the other LGBTQ bars that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test include the Logan Circle area bars Trade and Number Nine; the 17th Street, N.W. bar JR.’s located near Dupont Circle; and the U Street, N.W. area bars Nellie’s, Dirty Goose, and Uproar Lounge & Restaurant.
“Hands down, if we had one person complain about it, we had 40 people applaud it,” John Guggenmos, co-owner of Trade and Number Nine told D.C. Eater.com. He was recounting the reaction to his bars’ vaccination requirement during the first week the requirement was put in place.
“There were people that were like, ‘Oh my God, this is great, Let me text my friends a picture.’ Or Tweet it out. It’s about time. Everybody needs to step up,” Guggenmos told D.C. Eater.
The remaining four LGBTQ bars that have not adopted the vaccination or negative test requirement include the Fireplace on P Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle; the Green Lantern near Thomas Circle; Larry’s Lounge on 18th Street, N.W. near Adams Morgan; and Windows or DIK Bar, which is located above the Dupont Italian Kitchen restaurant on 17th Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle.
Also adopting a policy requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test result is the Crew Club, D.C.’s gym, sauna, and bathhouse for gay men, which reopened this past weekend at its 14th Street, N.W. location.
The Crew Club had been closed since the city’s COVID-19 related restrictions were put in place over a year ago. It announced on its website that it will initially be open only from Fridays through Sundays until further notice, when it expects to return to a seven-day, 24-hour schedule.
The eight D.C. LGBTQ bars that have adopted the vaccination or negative test requirement are among a total of about 25 bars in the city that have adopted such a policy. Nightlife observers say most of the 25 or so bars adopted the vaccination policy around the first week of August and few others have followed the lead of that initial group of bars that put the policy in place.
One source familiar with the city’s bars and nightclubs, who spoke on condition of not being identified, said nightlife industry insiders don’t believe many more will adopt a vaccination or negative COVID test requirement on grounds that D.C.-area residents have one of the highest vaccination rates in the country and most patrons will likely have been vaccinated.
Data recently released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, based on a national survey, showed that 92 percent of LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. had received at least one vaccination shot for COVID-19.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
District of Columbia
D.C. Council member honored by LGBTQ homeless youth group
Doni Crawford receives inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award
About 100 people turned out Tuesday evening, April 7, for a presentation by D.C.’s Wanda Alston Foundation of its inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award to D.C. Council member Doni Crawford (I-At-Large) for her support for the foundation’s mission to support homeless LGBTQ youth.
Among those who attended the event was Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, who delivered an official proclamation issued by Bowser declaring April 7, 2026 “A Day of Remembrance for Wanda Alston.”
Alston, a beloved women’s and LGBTQ rights activist, served as the city’s first director of the then newly created Office of LGBTQ Affairs under then-Mayor Anthony Williams from 2004 until her death by murder on March 16, 2005.
To the shock and dismay of fellow LGBTQ rights advocates, police and court records reported Alston, 45, was stabbed to death inside her Northeast D.C. house by a man high on crack cocaine who lived nearby and who stole her credit cards and car. The perpetrator, William Martin Parrott, 38, was arrested by D.C. police the next day and later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced in July 2005 to 24 years in prison.
Crawford was among those attending the award event who reflected on Alston’s legacy and outspoken advocacy for LGBTQ and feminist causes.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to receive this inaugural award,” Crawford told the Washington Blade at the conclusion of the event. “I think the world of Wanda Alston. She has set such a great foundation for me and other Council members to build on,” she said.
“Her focus on inclusivity and intersectionality is really important as we approach this work,” Crawford added. “And it’s going to guide my work at the Council every day.”
Crawford was appointed to the D.C. Council in January of this year to replace then Council member Kenyan McDuffie (I-At-Large), who resigned to run for D.C. mayor as a Democrat. She is being challenged by four other independent candidates in a June 16 special election for the Council seat.
Under the city’s Home Rule Charter written and approved by Congress, the seat is one of two D.C. Council at-large seats that cannot be held by a “majority party” candidate, meaning a Democrat.
A statement released by the Alston Foundation last month announcing Crawford’s selection for the Wanda Alston Legacy Award praised Crawford’s record of support for its work on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
“From behind the scenes to now serving as an At-Large Council member, she has fought fearlessly for affordable housing, LGBTQ+ funding priorities, and racial justice,” the statement says. “Council member Crawford’s leadership reflects the same courage and conviction that defined Wanda’s legacy.”
Organizers of the event noted that it was held on what would have been Wanda Alston’s 67th birthday.
“Today’s legacy reception was a smashing success,” said Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director. “Not only did we come together to celebrate Wanda Alston on her birthday, but we also were able to raise over $10,000 for our homeless LGBTQ youth here in D.C.,” Toledo told the Blade.
“In addition to that, we celebrated and we acknowledged a rising star in our community,” he said. “And that is At-Large Council member Doni Crawford, who we named the inaugural Wanda Alston Legacy Award recipient.”
At the request of D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) the Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20, 2026, to appoint Crawford to the Council seat being vacated by McDuffie.
Council records show she joined McDuffie’s Council staff in 2022 as a policy adviser and later became his legislative director before McDuffie appointed her as staff director for the Council’s Committee on Business and Economic Development for which McDuffie served as chair.
Calendar: April 10-16
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
The ‘X’ returns to court
LGBTQ community explores arming up during heated political times
D.C. is the place for the Democratic Socialists of America
PHOTOS: The Bonnet Ball
Key lifestyle changes can help patients cope with diabetes
Trump budget would codify expanded global gag rule
