For decades, Dupont Circle was one of the centers of D.C.’s LGBTQ community. “Dupont Circle was like a little island where people would come and have a good time,” a longtime District resident told the Washington City Paper last year.
Today Dupont Circle and 17th Street institutions such as JR’s, The Fireplace, Cobalt, Duplex Diner and Larry’s Lounge are still going strong. But D.C.’s evolving gayborhood has shifted towards Logan Circle and U Street. In February 2016, the Washington Blade noted an “unusual flurry of activity” with the opening of four new gay bars, the majority of which landed in the U Street/Shaw/Logan Circle area. Those new hangouts include Dirty Goose, Trade andUproar.
There have also been losses: Iconic Barracks Row lesbian bar Phase 1 shuttered its doors last year. But another historic bar, DC Eagle, recently made a big move to a gigantic space on Benning Road NE. Those spots and more sports bars, dance clubs, and cocktail havens are all included in Eater’s round up of the District’s gay-friendliest bars and hangouts.