Interview by Kelsey Brannan
Since the early 2000s lesbian D.C. leaders have created both online and offline community spaces for LGBT people to gather and socialize in the city, such as PhatGirlChic.com, WhereTheGirlsGo.com, LezGetTogether.com. The creators of these sites sought to conquer existing disparities between various female identified lesbian and queer groups to create a “common ground” for socialization. Despite the efforts, many new city transplants still find it hard to connect with others in the LGBT community. The Gay Women’s Alternative (GWA), a defunct non-profit lesbian community organization that existed in DC between 1980 – 1993, was able to create this common ground. The GWA was designed to bring women of all ages and backgrounds together in a safe space to educate and enrich the cultural, intellectual, and social lives of lesbians of the Washington D.C. Metro area.
By Jacquetta Brooks, MSW, LGSW
We’ve all been there; that awkward moment at the doctor’s office when the white lab coat asks, “Are you sexually active?” For some of us it’s a resounding “Yes.” For others, it’s a string of umms and uhs.
From Sept. 20 to 22, Phasefest, an annual queer music and arts festival, rocks out and celebrates its sixth year at Phase 1 Capitol Hill—the oldest, continually operating lesbian bar in the nation. The diverse entertainment comprises more than 20 acts.