District of Columbia
Sinners and Saints bar vandalized in suspected anti-LGBTQ hate crime
Blade spoke with General Manager Blair Nixon after incident
On Thursday, shattered glass, broken doors, and homophobic slurs were discovered in the entryway of Adams Morgan queer bar Sinners and Saints (2309 18th St. N.W.) Images of the destruction were posted to the bar’s Instagram, and news of the break-in began to spread.
The Washington Blade sat down with one of the co-partners and general manager of Sinners and Saints, Blair Nixon, to discuss the break-in and the overwhelming response from the LGBTQ community.
“Our door was broken-so the glass was shattered,” Nixon told the Blade when describing the damage done to the space. “They wrote a slur on our wall, and unfortunately-we’re not sure to the extent that it was, but there’s a bunch of inventory missing from our liquor closet. It does seem like it was targeted because of what they wrote on the wall.”
Nixon, who has been with Washington’s only QTBIPOC (queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color) bar since its opening last August, explained that upon learning of the break-in, fear was his first reaction.
“It was really scary,” Nixon said. “To know that somebody was in our space, vandalizing it-it was very scary and honestly, devastating.”
He went on to say that if it weren’t for the restaurant above Sinners and Saints, La Grotta, they wouldn’t have known until hours later.
“We found out because of the restaurant upstairs that we’re partnered with,” he said. “The electricity to the entire building was turned off-including apartments and the restaurant above us. Whoever broke in went into the closet that’s outside of the building and turned the electricity off to the entire building. When the restaurant owners got there, they tried to figure out why there wasn’t any electricity. They went downstairs and saw the shattered glass, the door broken, and the slur on the wall.”
Once Sinners and Saints staff arrived to survey the damage, they posted the images to their Instagram and called the Metropolitan Police Department. Nixon was grateful for both MPD and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs’s quick reaction.
“We were really happy with the response,” Nixon said. “The mayor’s office reached out relatively quickly, and I had a conversation with them, and the police came shortly afterwards, and they did a really good job. So we’re very appreciative of the response. They took a statement, they looked at the damage, took photos of everything, and made a report.”
“They actually sent, like, the entire department,” he added. “There were multiple police officers, multiple detectives, and the LGBTQ liaison came a little bit later. In general, I just really appreciated the response overall.”
The Blade obtained a copy of the filed police report, which described the break-in as a felony-more specifically, MPD considered it a second-degree burglary. MPD’s report also classified the break-in and subsequent graffiti as having “a hate bias or motivation” against sexual minorities who own and frequent the bar.
Unfortunately, there were no cameras on the premises at the time of the break-in, which MPD estimates happened sometime between 2-6 p.m., but Sinners and Saints were able to obtain footage from nearby businesses.
“We did have some camera footage from the hostel next door, and we submitted that to law enforcement,” he said. “We’re just going to let them do their investigation, and I don’t want to make any suppositions about what might have happened.”
When asked what he believed motivated the assailant(s), Nixon didn’t offer a definitive answer. He suggested it was likely someone hostile to LGBTQ businesses in Washington but assured the Blade that Sinners and Saints would not back down-and that the LGBTQ community stands firmly behind them.
“I don’t want to make any statements about what we think happened. We’re going to let the police do their job. But, as the only QTBIPOC bar in D.C., I think it’s important to note that we’re still here. We’re not going to close. We appreciate the support of our community, and I think that overall, it’s really important that we’re a safe space for the underserved and marginalized communities in D.C. Given that D.C. has, you know, one of the largest queer populations-but there aren’t very many spaces for the communities that we serve-we’re very proud to serve those communities. And we aren’t going to stop.”
Nixon had one critique for MPD, but was overall with their quick response.
“We hope that law enforcement would have a greater presence in Adams Morgan,” he said. “I think that, especially from talking to other establishment owners and bar owners, there’s definitely been some increased issues in Adams Morgan, and we hope that that doesn’t continue. We talked to the Mayor’s Office about it and to the police when they came-to have a greater presence in Adams Morgan.”
Since its opening, Nixon said the support from the QTBIPOC and broader LGBTQ community felt strong-but now, after the break-in, that connection has only grown stronger.
“We opened in August of last year, and we think that D.C. in general has really responded to our mission, and the community has really shown up for us-just like the same way that we’ve shown up for them.”
That community support for Sinners and Saints, Nixon said, extends past the diverse group of QTBIPOC people buying shots and tipping 20 percent nightly. Some of the city’s LGBTQ organizations showed up, offering to help. One of those community members who reached out owns a popular gay bar just up 18th Street.
“The response has been really strong, and we definitely appreciate the support. A few of the other LGBT bar owners in Adams Morgan actually stopped by in person. We really appreciated that Dave Perruzza from Pitchers came by, and just in general that the community has been rallying around us.”
On Thursday night, Sinners and Saints opened as planned and hosted their “Sapphic Sailor Moon” party. Despite the break-in, the LGBTQ community came out to support them.
“I was working-actually bartending,” Nixon said. “I wasn’t originally supposed to be working, but I thought it was important for all the partners to be there. So everyone that’s involved in Sinners and Saints’ leadership team came out. Obviously, we were dealing with the incident, but being there the entire night, we thought that the response from the community was really strong. We wanted to make sure that we posted on social media the fact that we were still open, because a lot of people were contacting us and asking if we were going to be continuing on, if we were going to close. We thought it was really important to make sure that we were there and still open and still available.”
That community, Nixon said, includes members of the LGBTQ population who are often overlooked-which makes the attack on a space intentionally dedicated to them-particularly trans people and people of color-even more painful.
“I think that DC in general, as one of the cities with the biggest queer populations, has adopted the LGBT community in general-and it’s great. However, the adoption of people of color and the overall QTBIPOC community, you know, our trans community, hasn’t been the same. It’s super important to us to make sure that that community is protected and that there are safe spaces for them, and that’s what our core mission is. We never want that to stop. The most important thing is that the safe space for those marginalized and underrepresented communities continues. And I would hope that the acceptance of the community that we serve continues-and is just as important as the acceptance of the LGBT community as a whole.”
If you have any information about the break in, please contact MPD at (202) 727-9099. Sinners and Saints has set up a GoFundMe page for repairs. It can be accessed here.
District of Columbia
D.C. church removes Pride decorations from house rented to gay tenants
Agent said display of Pride flags violates lease
D.C.’s Walker Memorial Baptist Church located on 13th Street, N.W., just off U Street had one of its workers on June 3 remove an arrangement of Pride flags and banners displayed on the front fence of a townhouse the church owns that were put up by a gay couple who rent an apartment in the house.
Jay Richards, who along with his partner lives in a rented apartment at the house at 2014 13th Street, N.W., said he was contacted by a rental agency working for the church a few hours after he put up the decorations on May 30 asking that the decorations be taken down.
The church is located next door to the townhouse, which has three apartments that are rented to tenants, including Richards and his partner. Richards said the tenants in the other two apartments were fully supportive of the Pride decorations.
“We kindly ask that any decorations or items be removed by Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.,” a follow-up message sent to Richards by the rental agency says. “If items are still in place after this time, our team will remove them, and please note that a fee may apply for this service,” the message said.
Richards said the rental company, EJF Real Estate Services, pointed to a provision in his apartment’s rental lease that does not allow exterior decorations to be placed on or in front of the house. He said he asked if an exception could be made to allow him to keep the Pride decorations up until Monday, June 9, the day after WorldPride 2025, ends on Sunday, June 8.
In a statement released this week to the online publication DC News Now, EJF said it was proud to support the LGBTQ community and decided to allow the tenants to keep the decorations up until June 9 as requested by Richards.
“While we remain mindful of our responsibility to both the lease and our client, we believe this is a respectful and reasonable approach,” the statement says. “EJF will not be removing the decorations ourselves and is honoring the residents’ plan, trusting they will follow through as promised,” DC News Now quotes the statement as saying.
Richards told the Washington Blade he was hopeful that the church would also allow the decorations to remain up through the end of the WorldPride festivities. “I wanted to leave them up all month for Pride month,” he said. “But we were willing to take them down on Monday, after Pride weekend.”
Much to his disappointment, Richards said the church’s custodian early Tuesday evening, May 3, came to the house and pulled down the decorations and left them next to the front steps of the house.
A photo that Richards provided for the Blade taken before they were taken down shows the decorations included several rainbow flags and banners draped over an iron fence in front of the house and two long ropes extending from the front wall of the house to the fence on which multiple small rainbow flags were suspended.
Rev. Ademuyiwa T. Bamiduro, the pastor of Walker Memorial Baptist Church, did not immediately respond to a phone message left for him by the Blade seeking comment from the church about the removal of the Pride decorations.
Richards said he and the other tenants in the house received an email message from the church Tuesday night, June 3, shortly after the decorations were removed explaining why they were taken down, which he provided to the Blade.
“Decorations on the outside of the property or common areas regardless of the event, holiday, season, occasion, or reason violate the lease terms,” the message states.
“This is not about subject matter,” the message says. “The mission of Walker Memorial Baptist Church is a prayerful congregation, walking in the spirit, bringing souls to Christ. That is our focus. We seek unity, not division, through our lease requirement that there be no decorations on the outside of the property or common areas,” the message continues.
“In doing so, we avoid arbitrary decision-making and the need to distinguish between the content or subject matter of any decorations,” it states.
Local LGBTQ rights attorney Mindy Daniels, when told by the Blade of the content of the lease in question, which bans external decorations, said it appears that the church is within its legal rights to not allow those decorations.
Daniels said the church could be in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other categories, if it were to make an exception and not enforce its lease requirements for some types of decorations while enforcing them for others such as Pride flags.
“The email they sent me said we can’t put decorations up for any holidays,” Richards told the Blade. “But I do feel like if I had put something up for the holidays for Christmas that they wouldn’t have taken it down. But now they’re saying that no decorations can be put up.”
District of Columbia
Hotel Monaco launches Pride-themed suite ahead of WorldPride
Historic hotel unveils campy and artist Pride themed suite
Washington boasts many historic landmarks. From well-known spaces that have been around for at least a century — like the White House and Capitol — to lesser-known locations of historic significance, such as Frank Kameny’s house in Northwest that became the headquarters of the first gay civil rights organizing group in the U.S., it’s clear that history is not in short supply in Washington.
One space in the city with a historic past and grand — some may even say flamboyant — features is now attempting to make the most of history in the making, as Washington prepares to host its first-ever WorldPride celebration this June.
The General Post Office in Penn Quarter, built in 1866 to house the U.S. Post Office Department and U.S. Patent Office, is now home to the boutique Kimpton Hotel Monaco (700 F St., N.W.) Its Italian Renaissance-inspired architecture — complete with a marble façade, lion statues, and red carpet entrance — exudes luxury and opulence.
As WorldPride inches closer, with an estimated 2 million visitors expected during the two-week-long celebration, the Kimpton Hotel Monaco is unveiling a unique suite designed to reflect “the fun, eclectic, and vibrant nature of the LGBTQ community,” Michelle Ison, the Washington-based designer, founder of Picnic and Peonies, and creative mind behind the “Free to Fly” suite, told the Washington Blade during a special preview of the room.
The Pride Suite at Hotel Monaco bursts with color in every corner, each detail carefully curated to spark joy-or at the very least, inspire a vibrant Instagram story. Bright, Warhol-esque portraits of Dorothy and Sophia Petrillo frame the television, painted by local LGBTQ artist Wayne Hollowell, who-fun fact-also works in the hotel’s accounting department. Across the room, a classical Greek statue head is playfully adorned with David Bowie’s iconic Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt and crowned with green carnations, a clear nod to queer legend Oscar Wilde. Even the bed’s tray table serves as a tribute to LGBTQ culture, featuring a vintage copy of “The Wizard of Oz.” From camp icons to literary references, the suite is a love letter to queer popular culture, designed to be both comforting and celebratory.
The artistic centerpiece of the room is the 300 handmade butterflies that appear to flutter across the space, a “fun, labor of love” that truly makes this room stand out.
“The Free to Fly Suite was designed to celebrate love, freedom, and acceptance. At the heart of the room is a gradient butterfly mural, symbolizing transformation, movement, and the beauty of becoming your authentic self,” said Ison. “Alongside the mural, we incorporated a playful mix of colors and patterns that reflect the vibrant spirit of the LGBTQ+ community. These design choices aren’t just aesthetic-they evoke energy, joy, and the dynamic individuality that the space is meant to honor.”
The room, which can only be booked through the Kimpton Monaco’s website, is available as a standalone stay with rates starting at $289 per night, or as part of the “Rainbow Recharge” package. The package includes a $100 credit for breakfast (or brunch) in bed from the hotel’s on-site restaurant, Dirty Habit; colorful Daise bath amenities; and a $10 donation to the national nonprofit the Trevor Project.
Regardless of whether guests book the room alone or as part of the package, they will receive two SuperGay Spirits canned cocktails, sweets from local LGBTQ-owned shop the Capital Candy Jar, and a daily complimentary single-ride promo code for Bird and Spin scooters and bikes-along with a curated map of historic Pride sites across Washington.
By collaborating with local LGBTQ businesses, Hotel Monaco DC is making it clear that supporting the LGBTQ community takes more than just putting up Pride flags in June.
“Through the creation of the Free to Fly Suite and partnership with brands supporting Pride, we hope to create an immersive guest journey that celebrates our core values and further supports and inspires our neighborhood’s contributions to the LGBTQ+ community,” said Kelsey Jones, director of sales and marketing for Hotel Monaco DC and Kimpton George.
To make WorldPride weekend even more special, guests staying over on Saturday, June 7, can get a complimentary “tiny tattoo” by a professional artist from NYC tattoo shop Tiny Zaps in the lobby’s Library from 1–7 p.m., a souvenir you can’t accidentally leave behind.
Additionally, the hotel lobby features a Pride photo op adorned with rainbow butterflies, also handmade by Ison.
Dirty Habit, the hotel’s swanky restaurant, will be decked out in its rainbow best-including more artwork from the accountant/artist Wayne Hollowell, with portraits of Liza Minnelli, Alyssa Edwards, RuPaul, and Judy Garland available for purchase. The restaurant will feature a special Pride cocktail menu and will host a WorldPride Drag Brunch with RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All-Stars winner Alyssa Edwards on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at 11 a.m. After June, Hollowell’s artwork will be showcased at Provincetown’s Post Office Café and Cabaret.
The “Free to Fly” suite and the additional “Rainbow Recharge” package are available through October 11, which coincides with National Coming Out Day. To book the room, visit monaco-dc.com.
District of Columbia
D.C. police chief rescinds request to close Dupont Circle Park for WorldPride
Council member Parker hopeful U.S. Park Service will agree to change
D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) announced that at his request, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith agreed to ask the U.S. Park Service to rescind its decision at her earlier request to close Dupont Circle Park this weekend for WorldPride events.
The Park Service announced in a statement Monday night, June 2, that it would close Dupont Circle Park from Thursday, June 5 to Monday, June 9, at the request of Chief Smith, to prevent “destructive and disorderly behavior” by WorldPride participants.
“I spoke to Chief Smith this morning and I’m glad to report that the decision to close Dupont Circle park is being rescinded,” Parker, the Council’s only openly gay member, said in a posting on X. “The Park is central to the LGBTQ community and neighbors will be happy to enjoy it this year for WorldPride,” Parker stated in his X post.
But Parker spokesperson Melissa Littlepage told the Blade that while Parker believes the U.S. Park Service will agree to Smith’s request to rescind the closing of Dupont Circle Park, Parker did not contact the Park Service to confirm that.
National Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterst, who released the statement on Monday announcing the closure of Dupont Circle Park for WorldPride weekend, didn’t immediately respond to a Washington Blade inquiry on Tuesday, June 3, asking for confirmation of whether the Park Service has agreed to Chief Smith’s request to rescind the park closure.
Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual Pride events and that is serving as lead organizer for this year’s WorldPride events, said no official WorldPride events were scheduled to take place at Dupont Circle Park this weekend.
Bos said he could not confirm whether individuals or groups not associated with Capital Pride Alliance planned to hold an event there this weekend.
The National Park Service statement on June 2 announcing plans to close Dupont Circle park this weekend made it clear that the action came at the request of D.C. police.
“At the request of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, with the concurrence of the United States Park Police, the National Park Service will temporarily close Dupont Circle park this weekend, beginning Thursday, June 5 to Monday, June 9, as a public safety measure and to protect park resources during WorldPride celebrations,” the statement says.
The statement adds, “This decision was based on a history and pattern of destructive and disorderly behavior from unpermitted activities happening in the park during past DC Pride weekends, including vandalism in 2023 that resulted in approximately $175,000 in damage to the historic Dupont Circle fountain.”
Bos said he was certain that any damage that occurred in the Dupont Circle Park was not caused by participants of Capital Pride events.
This story continues to unfold and will be updated when more information becomes available.
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U.S. Park Service orders Dupont Circle park closed during WorldPride weekend
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The White House4 days agoWhite House has ‘no plans’ to recognize Pride month
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District of Columbia3 days agoD.C. church removes Pride decorations from house rented to gay tenants
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District of Columbia4 days agoD.C. police chief rescinds request to close Dupont Circle Park for WorldPride
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Opinions3 days agoMaking sense of a dark Pride season