Yet many of the places I frequented are gone: Phase 1 in Barracks Row, Apex in Dupont Circle, Icons in Fairfax (which wasn’t a gay bar, but hosted a lot of drag shows), not to mention all of the LGBT clubs in Navy Yard that closed to make way for Nationals Park over a decade ago. I came out twelve years ago, and like many queer kids in DC, I sought out gay bars as a refuge. The owner sold it to a developer who plans to build an apartment building in its place. Town, the massive gay dance club in Shaw, announced last week that it will close next summer after rumors to the contrary.
