Out and About in Northern Virginia

Map Transcript of Northern Virginia’s Queer History Sites

This document is a transcript of the Google My Maps titled “Queer NoVA,” embedded on outandaboutnova.org/maps. The map encompasses thirty sites of queer life in Northern Virginia during the late 20th century. Each entry below includes the site name, address (where listed), and description as it appears on the map.

1. Metropolis Restaurant

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8050°N, 77.0612°W — Alexandria, VA)

The Metropolis was a night club operating in Alexandria throughout the 1990s. According to the Washington Post, Dave von Storch, the owner of Metropolis, saw the club as a way “to wake up night life in Alexandria.” Though it was not explicitly a queer night club, Metropolis was advertised by the state-circulating queer publication Our Own Community Press as a queer-friendly establishment from 1991–1995. As clippings from Our Own show, Metropolis was one of the only establishments (alongside the French Quarter Café) to be advertised to queer Alexandrians in the 1990s.

Citations: “Directory,” Our Own Community Press (Norfolk, VA), December 1991, pg. 25. Joe Brown, “DJs and PJs at Metropolis,” Washington Post, October 17, 1991.

2. Generous George’s Positive Pizza and Pasta

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8072°N, 77.0815°W — Duke Street, Alexandria, VA)

In August 1998, the Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (AGLCA) moved its monthly meetings to this location on Duke Street. These business meetings were central to the organizing that the AGLCA was able to accomplish for over three decades. It is unclear from the archival evidence for how long the AGLCA met at Positive Pizza and Pasta. See the entries for the Public School Administration Building at 3801 Braddock Road and the Francis Hammond School at 4646 Seminary Road for more meeting locations of the AGLCA.

Citation: “Engagements,” Our Own Community Press (Norfolk, VA), August 1998.

3. Calvert Grill

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8381°N, 77.0617°W — Del Ray neighborhood, Alexandria, VA)

The Calvert Grille was a restaurant in Del Ray owned and operated by Don Abram in the 1980s through the early 2000s. Though not specifically marketed as an LGBTQ+ restaurant, the Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (AGLCA) hosted many events here in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The AGLCA was an important organization for queer Alexandrians and Northern Virginians, as it organized social events, advocated and lobbied for gay and lesbian civil rights, raised money for queer organizations, and much more. From 1989–1991, the AGLCA hosted its monthly brunch here, a social event for gay and lesbian Alexandrians and Northern Virginians.

In addition to the monthly brunches, on March 6, 1991, the AGLCA partnered with Virginians for Justice, an LGBTQ advocacy organization headquartered in Richmond, to host a fundraiser for a new hate crimes hotline at the Calvert Grill. Reported on by Our Own Community Press, the event was held from 5:30 to 8:30pm, serving a “cash bar and finger food.” Attendees could either choose to donate to the AGLCA or Virginians for Justice. Both groups planned to use the funds to promote the hotline in various media outlets. The AGLCA specifically noted that they would use the money to advertise the hotline in college newspapers around Virginia. With the establishment of this hotline, Virginians around the state could dial 1-800-2JUSTICE to report hate crimes and receive legal assistance.

The Calvert Grille is now closed, but the space played an important role in supporting LGBTQ+ Alexandrians in an era where LGBTQ+ Americans did not have full civil rights.

Citations: “Calendars: Northern” in Our Own Community Press, September 1989–September 1991. “Toll Free Number to Report Virginia Hate Crimes to Start March 1,” Our Own Community Press, March 1991.

4. Torpedo Factory Art Center

Address: 105 N Union St, Alexandria, VA 22314

In the 1980s and 1990s, one of the main methods of communication among queer communities in Virginia were periodicals and newspapers. Publications including Our Own Community Press (Norfolk, VA), the Richmond Pride, and the Washington Blade offered their readers information about social events, activism opportunities, and politics on the local and national levels. These periodicals circulated around the state, including in Northern Virginia.

Our Own Community Press could be found at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town, Alexandria, between at least 1983 and the end of its publication in August 1998. The newspaper reported on key events in Northern Virginia and the surrounding areas, including an exhibition held in honor of Northern Virginia World AIDS Day on December 1, 1993. For this solemn event, titled “A Day Without Art,” Torpedo Factory artists covered the public areas surrounding the factory in “black bunting.” This event connected the LGBTQ+ community of Alexandria to other cities in Northern Virginia, including Richmond and Norfolk, helping the regional community remember those who lost their lives to AIDS.

Citations: “Where to Find Our Own,” Our Own Community Press, December 1983–August 1998. “Virginia observes World AIDS Day: Events, Northern Virginia,” Our Own Community Press, December 1, 1993, 11, 20.

5. Alexandria City Hall

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8054°N, 77.0429°W — Alexandria, VA)

In the spring of 1975, the City of Alexandria passed a human rights ordinance prohibiting discrimination along many lines, but it did not specify protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In response, LGBTQ+ activists began lobbying for an amendment aimed at prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination in 1983. The Alexandria Gay Community Association submitted a survey to Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission, which was included in the Sexual Orientation Subcommittee’s “Report on Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation in the City of Alexandria.” After hearing the findings of this report, the Human Rights Commission “voted unanimously to accept the report’s conclusion, which states that ‘discrimination based on Sexual Orientation exists in the City of Alexandria, most often in the areas of housing, social services, employment, and equal protection (under current law).’” This formal recognition was an important first step towards passing an amendment to protect local gay rights.

The next five years were punctuated by public hearings and failures to pass a sexual orientation amendment. In the winter of 1984, the commission held a public hearing about the proposed amendment, which was met with a flood of anti-gay rhetoric from some Alexandria residents. However, these anti-gay activists were counterproductive. The backlash to the amendment shocked commission members, with member Richard Kanar saying “they convinced me that the Gay community of the City of Alexandria needs to be protected under the law.” Despite this supporting sentiment, the Human Rights Commission delayed their recommendation of the amendment to the City Council until 1986. City Council tabled it due to concern that the city could not pass human rights laws that contradict current state legislation.

Alexandria’s LGBTQ+ community won a legal victory on October 21, 1988 when the City Council passed the sexual orientation amendment to the human rights code by a margin of 5–2. This was the first time a local jurisdiction had “amended its human rights ordinance to protect Gays from discrimination.” The LGBTQ+ community now had legal protection from discrimination and could file complaints to the Human Rights Office against discriminatory acts. While the LGBTQ+ community had limited state and federal rights, citizens of Alexandria were protected in their locality.

Citations: Keith Maranger, “Hearing Scheduled on Gay Rights Measure,” Our Own Community Press, December 1, 1984, 1. Mark Scott, “Alexandria HRC unthwarted by anti-gay rhetoric,” Washington Blade, December 21, 1984, 5. Lisa M. Keen, “Alexandria law becomes first in Virginia to protect Gays,” Washington Blade, October 21, 1988, 1.

6. Athenaeum

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8035°N, 77.0418°W — Old Town Alexandria, VA)

Built in the mid-19th century, the Athenaeum has been a historical pillar within the city of Alexandria, serving a multitude of purposes for the community. Throughout the roughly two hundred years since its construction, it has been a bank, the Chief Commissary’s Office during the U.S. Civil War, and a religious center for Methodists. In 1964, the same year of the Civil Rights Amendment’s passing, the building was purchased by the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association (NVFAA) and repurposed as a center for art.

After a prolonged battle ensued over Gay and Lesbian rights within the city of Alexandria with the Alexandria Gay Community Association (AGCA) at its forefront, the city council expanded the Human Rights Civil Code. In 1988, in a 5 to 2 vote, an amendment was added to the code to include sexuality as a category that cannot be discriminated against. In celebration of its passage and in commemoration of the AGCA’s 5th anniversary, Mayor James Moran Jr. issued a City of Alexandria Proclamation designating June 11th–17th as Alexandria’s first Gay and Lesbian Pride Week. In keeping with its history, the Athenaeum hosted the celebratory signing, an inclusive event that brought Alexandria’s community together in unity and understanding.

Citations: “Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Pride Week,” Richmond Pride, June 1, 1988. Keith Maranger, “Alexandria Ordinance is Open to Challenge,” Our Own Community Press, July 1, 1985.

7. Old Colony Inn

Address: 1101 N Washington St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Located in the northern section of Old Town, the Old Colony Inn hosted the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s Annual “Creating Change Conference” in November 1991. This event took place one month after the court ruled in favor of the French Quarter Café and declared the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s anti-gay code unconstitutional.

The Creating Change Conference’s long weekend of events kicked off on Thursday, November 7, and ran through Sunday, November 10. The first day featured programs dedicated to campus lesbian, gay, and bisexual activism, followed by coalition-building events for activists of color on the second day. On November 9, the conference hosted a “Colonial Ball” to raise money for the local Alexandria Gay & Lesbian Community Association, as well as the Fairfax Lesbian & Gay Citizens Association. The conference held a “comedy and performance gala” on December 10th.

The decision for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force to hold their conference in Alexandria represents the growing and thriving LGBTQ+ community in the area. Reported on by state-wide publications and attended by leading state activists, this conference had national and local significance for the LGBTQ+ community of Northern Virginia.

Citation: “1,000 queers gather in Alexandria,” Our Own Community Press, December 1991; “Calendars: Northern,” Our Own Community Press, November 1, 1991.

8. GW’s

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8062°N, 77.0543°W — Alexandria, VA)

This building, formerly GW’s, was a country-western night club from the early 1990s and was the site of one of the only food-service related cases of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in the 1980s and 1990s. In June 1990, Dale Barnhard and Gail Black, two lesbians from Silver Spring, Maryland, were kicked out of the club by the bouncer for dancing together. Club management told them their actions could jeopardize the club’s liquor license due to the 1956 Alcoholic Beverage Control board law against serving drinks to “known homosexuals.”

The two women complained to the Alexandria Human Rights Commission and, by October, had received a written apology, a sign in the club promising not to discriminate against gay patrons, and compensation for their time pursuing the complaint.

The following year, Dale Barnhard signed on as a co-plaintiff to Murray Greenberg, et al. v. Wade Hampton, Jr., a case dedicated to overturning that same law the bouncer cited when kicking her out of GW’s.

Citations: Joan Horwitt, “GW’s Restaurant,” Washington Post, March 1, 1990. Robert F. Howe, “Complaint Accuses Nightclub of Refusing Service to Gays,” Washington Post, September 8, 1990. Thomas Heath, “Law Banning Gay Bars Challenged in Virginia,” Washington Post, August 28, 1991.

9. Alexandria Public Library

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8078°N, 77.0472°W — Alexandria, VA)

In the 1980s, when many institutions were either unwelcoming or neutral toward queer communities, the Alexandria Public Library often proved to be actively supportive of queer issues.

In 1983, the Alexandria Gay Community Association (AGCA, later the AGLCA) partnered with the library to provide Alexandrians with a bibliography of queer books and pamphlets. The AGCA had already ensured Alexandrians could access state-circulating queer publications like Our Own Community Press and the Washington Blade for free. In 1983 the library worked with the AGCA to expand this collection of texts and publications.

In early 1984, the AGCA collected books and raised funds to purchase queer literature from Lambda Rising (a gay and lesbian bookstore in Washington DC) to donate to the library. The partnership between the AGCA and Alexandria’s libraries helped to improve queer Alexandrians’ access to queer news and literature throughout the 1980s.

Citations: “Guide Includes Gay Organizations,” Our Own Community Press, December 1983. “AGCA Donates Books to Library,” Our Own Community Press, August 1984.

10. Hannah Nokes’ Home (Approximate)

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.9791°N, 77.3783°W — near Dranesville Road, Loudoun County area, VA)

Hannah Nokes was born near Sterling, Virginia in 1898 and died in 1972 at the age of seventy-four. Hannah would become known by modern audiences as one of the first openly transgender people to take the stand in a court in Virginia. But her contemporaries knew her as a trusted, hard-working, well-respected community member. Hannah was assigned male at birth under the name “Hammond,” and identified as a woman named Hannah for her entire recorded life. As an adult, Hannah lived on Dranesville Road near Loudoun County. She labored in the domestic sphere like many other Black women in the early twentieth century.

In the 1930s, Hannah Nokes gained international attention when she testified in the murder trial against George Crawford. Crawford, a Black man, was on trial for the murder of two white women in Loudoun County. Crawford had stayed in Hannah’s home as a boarder before he allegedly murdered the two women, so Hannah’s testimony established Crawford’s whereabouts. Though the mainstream and Black presses were already closely following the case, media attention escalated after prosecutors called Hannah Nokes to the stand.

Reporters became very focused on Hannah’s gender presentation, describing her in ways including “who dresses and acts like a woman.” Though Hannah’s appearance and behavior were scrutinized and picked apart by the press and allies of Crawford, historian Amy Bertsch has shown how “no one challenged her credibility on the stand.”

Though the trial earned Hannah the most widespread recognition, her legacy in her community went much beyond that. Her family and community accepted, loved, and supported her. Hannah’s story serves as a testimony not only to the presence of transgender people in our shared history, but also as a reminder that prejudice against those who do not conform to a perceived societal “norm” has not always been the answer.

Citations: Amy Bertsch, “‘Beyond ‘Red Wigged Boy-Girl’: Perceptions of a Black Transgender Woman in Northern Virginia before Queer Liberation,” in Queer Virginia, ed. Charles Ford and Jeffrey Little (UVA Press: 2025). “Crawford tells guide he is dissatisfied with his trial,” New Journal and Guide (Norfolk, VA), February 10, 1934. Photograph: Photo of Hannah Nokes, “Happiness: A Rural-Electrification By-Project,” in Rural Electrification, July 1936, p. 9 (HathiTrust).

11. French Quarter Cafe

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8050°N, 77.0485°W — Alexandria, VA)

The French Quarter Cafe, opened in 1991, was Northern Virginia’s first gay bar. Opened by Murray Greenberg, the Cafe was a popular spot among LGBTQ+ Washingtonians, serving dinner and drinks until 2 AM. The Cafe also held art showcases, trivia, and live music events.

The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board’s statutes contained three references to homosexuality, written in 1956 and 1968. In the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, businesses could have their alcohol license suspended or revoked if the Board “has reasonable cause to believe” that the place “has become a meeting place or rendezvous for users of narcotics, drunks, homosexuals, prostitutes, pimps, etc.” Another law explicitly prohibited any business with an alcohol license from employing “any person who has the general reputation as a prostitute, homosexual, panderer, gambler, etc.” The LGBTQ+ rights group Virginians for Justice (now Equality Virginia) sought to challenge these laws in court. In June 1991, attorneys Ken Labowitz and Vic Glasberg approached Virginians for Justice, believing a strong case could overturn the ABC Board’s laws. The lawsuit was built around Silver Spring, MD resident Dale Barnhard, who had been kicked out of GW’s (a local restaurant) on June 6, 1990, for slow dancing with another woman.

The William & Mary GALA also joined Barnhard in the suit after a hotel would not allow them to book a reception due to the ABC law. Murray Greenberg, owner of the French Quarter Cafe, agreed to join after an August 22, 1991 visit from ABC Board officials. The lawsuit — French Quarter Cafe, INC., et al. vs. George M. Hampton Sr. — was filed on August 27, 1991 in the Alexandria division of the U.S. District Court, challenging the constitutionality of the ABC Board’s laws. The plaintiffs and defendants settled out of court on October 18, submitted documents to the court on October 21, and the law was officially overturned on October 28. This was regarded as a huge success for Virginia’s LGBTQ+ community, and the French Quarter Cafe could now proudly operate in Alexandria.

Following the court case, conservative politician William H. Glasgow complained about nude male figures depicted in an upstairs mural at the cafe. Greenberg responded by painting shorts on the figures with the words “Glasgow Cover-Ups” added. Glasgow then filed a libel suit against Greenberg; the judge ruled in favor of the defendant, dismissed the case, and ordered Glasgow to pay Greenberg’s court fees. Ultimately, Glasgow donated $2,500 to the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a non-profit community health center in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with expertise in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ healthcare.

12. Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant

Address: Not listed in KML (approximate coordinates: 38.8535°N, 77.0549°W — 23rd Street, Arlington/Crystal City, VA)

In 2000, Freddie Lutz opened this gay bar on 23rd Street. He opened the bar amid a vibrant landscape of gay bars in Northern Virginia — on Duke Street there was the dance club Metropolis, and in Arlington there were the lesbian 5878 Club, Studio 26, the She-Bar, and two country western bars — Uncle Ron’s and the Hunt Club. Since Freddie’s opened, another gay bar, the So Addictive Lounge, opened in Fairfax County. Freddie’s has outlasted them all.

Freddie’s doesn’t advertise itself as a gay bar. They advertise as Northern Virginia’s only straight-friendly bar. In an interview with the Washington Post, Freddie remarked: “Basically, straight people come up and see the rainbow flags and ask if this is a gay bar. I’ve instructed my staff to say, ‘No, it’s a straight-friendly bar.’ That’s something that I’m really proud of, that we get such a mix of people here.”

The bar’s interior is an explosion of color, painted in “pink, turquoise, periwinkle, purple and lavender.” It is covered in Barbies, flamingoes, beach balls, life preservers, rainbow flags, and mirrors. There’s a stage for karaoke, a large bar covered in a pink feather boa, and a collection of military portraits. Freddie’s offers the Sunday night cabaret show Freddie’s Follies, weekend brunch, comedy night, karaoke, trivia, and weekly drag shows.

Despite being a straight-friendly bar, Freddie’s suffered several incidents, including a bomb threat, an arsonist, and a death threat against Freddie himself. These incidents caused no lasting damage to people or property, but they are representative of threats that gay bars around the country face daily. Freddie was part of a group of local businesses that worked with the National Landing Committee to install rainbow crosswalks near his 23rd Street location. Reflecting on his 20+ years running the bar, Freddie said: “I’m proud of what I’ve done here.”

13. NOVA Salud

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8705°N, 77.1575°W — Falls Church/Arlington area, VA)

This health clinic, opened in 2009, is on a mission to improve and strengthen the health and well-being of the diverse Northern Virginia community through culturally-competent and language-appropriate HIV/AIDS services and prevention education. Nova Salud employs trans health care workers and hosts several trans-centered events throughout the community.

14. 5878 Club

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8854°N, 77.1420°W — Arlington, VA)

Initially opened for three weeks as After Dark in 1991, this site soon became a gay bar called the 5878 Club. It was run by Giuseppe Motta.

15. Uncle Ron’s

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.7940°N, 77.0711°W — Alexandria, VA)

This site was opened in 1991 as a country-western gay bar. It featured a leather/Levi’s atmosphere and offered both dancing and drag shows.

16. George Mason University

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8314°N, 77.3112°W — Fairfax, VA)

This state university was home to gay activism. As early as 1977, they offered a Gay Awareness Group.

17. Hunt Club

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.7940°N, 77.0710°W — Alexandria, VA)

Opened in 1991, the Hunt Club was one of the region’s most popular gay bars in the 1990s. The bar featured country-western dancing and drag shows. Their large clientele attracted some local ire, and on one night several patrons had their cars towed on the complaints of neighbors. When the towing company arrived, they hurled slurs and insults at the gathered crowd.

18. She-Bar

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.7940°N, 77.0711°W — Alexandria, VA)

Located just next to the famous Hunt Club, the She-Bar, opened in 2001, could hardly compete.

19. So Addictive Lounge

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.9695°N, 77.3859°W — Herndon/Fairfax County area, VA)

Opened in 2010 and closed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, this former coffeehouse featured a new bar and drag shows. It was billed as Fairfax County’s only gay bar.

20. Turkey Run Park

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.9630°N, 77.1503°W — McLean, VA)

Before the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, gay men often entered what sociologist Laud Humphreys called “tea rooms” — public restrooms that were sites for anonymous sex. Humphreys noted that most men who entered a tearoom did not identify as gay outwardly, but once inside, they didn’t have to identify as anything other than interested in sex. Men might linger around urinals, bend over, touch their thighs, or share a glance with another man to indicate their interest.

Like many parks along the Parkway, Turkey Run had its share of cruisers along pathways, in the treeline, and in the bathroom. In 1994, the restrooms of Turkey Run, along with those of three other parks along the Parkway, became the target of a police investigation. Men had been leaving messages on the walls of restrooms, writing their phone numbers in the hope that another man might call them to arrange a meeting. Some of the parks closed their restrooms to repaint over the content, something they needed to repeat at least once a month. Officer Kevin Fornshill told the Washington Post: “We have so many phone numbers we could have a phone bank.” The police went undercover, called the numbers, arranged meetings, and arrested the writers. Though not all the men arrested were gay, the police reported that many were. The police may have temporarily disrupted a community site for local gay men, but these men simply turned to other parks.

21. Belle Haven Park, Virginia

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.7780°N, 77.0500°W — Alexandria, VA)

After a series of violent incidents in the 1970s at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, many gay men migrated south to Alexandria’s Belle Haven Park, and especially its Dyke Marsh, for a new cruising spot. In summer 1976, the police reported that there might be over 100 men a day at the Dyke Marsh in Belle Haven, with men there for sex signaling their intent by wearing “hot pants” and those there for birding carrying binoculars. Local birders complained that the activity away from public paths was disturbing the birds and detracting from their own use of the park.

22. US Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Memorial)

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8904°N, 77.0697°W — Arlington, VA)

The Iwo Jima Memorial was a well-known cruising site. Its convenient location to DC, just across the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge from the Mall, made it easily accessible to many gay men in DC and the surrounding Virginia suburbs. Several politicians, including Jon C. Hinson, were arrested there on charges related to cruising, such as indecent exposure.

In 1999, columnist Bob Massey advertised the park in the Washington Post as a good make-out spot, but cruising there carried risks. In 1976, the Memorial became the scene of a hate crime which shocked the city. The body of 32-year-old Pettine was found face down, naked, in the bushes of the park. He had been kicked and beaten, his skull fractured; his car and wallet were untouched. After 16 months of investigation, park police detectives arrested three men. Friends of one murderer later testified in court that he had been to Iwo Jima Park several times — not for sex, but to, in his words, “smack around a few queers.” Two defendants were sentenced to 40 and 35 years in prison respectively; a third received 12 months, suspended. This was not the only instance of violence at the park. Just two weeks before, a man was stabbed, and a month earlier another man was beaten to death. In 1981, two marines were sentenced to a year’s probation for attacking Philip Watts and Tyree Hilkert.

23. Fort Ward Park

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8306°N, 77.1026°W — Alexandria, VA)

This park in Alexandria was one of many parks in Northern Virginia which were known as popular cruising spots for men to seek sex with other men.

24. Metropolitan Community Church

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8495°N, 77.3028°W — Reston/Herndon area, VA)

Once a branch of a larger church network, this site is now the only Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in Northern Virginia. The gay-friendly church offers free HIV/AIDS testing and queer community events.

25. Public School Administration Building: Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (AGLCA) Meeting Place 1983–1994

Address: 3801 Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA

The Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (AGLCA) was founded in 1983 after it broke off from the state-wide organization Virginia Gay Alliance. It began as the Alexandria Gay Community Association (AGCA), but the group added “lesbian” to its name in the early 1990s. From 1983 until the mid-2010s, the group advocated for queer rights at the local, state, and national levels. From 1983–1994, the Public School Administration Building was the AGLCA’s home base and the site of its monthly business meetings.

The AGLCA led a variety of campaigns and events — from organizing queer book drives with the public library, to hosting lectures with public health speakers on the importance of AIDS awareness and prevention, to lobbying government officials for queer civil rights, to organizing social events for queer Northern Virginians. See the Francis Hammond School at 4646 Seminary Road and Generous George’s Positive Pizza and Pasta for more of the AGLCA’s meeting locations.

Citation: See “Around Virginia” in Our Own Community Press, years 1983–1994. Photo: “AGCA’s February Calendar,” Our Own Community Press (Norfolk, VA), February 1984, pg. 3.

26. Francis Hammond School: Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (AGLCA) Meeting Place 1994–1998

Address: 4646 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA

The Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association (AGLCA) held meetings and events here from 1994 through 1998. Specifically, this was the meeting spot for the monthly business meeting after the AGLCA moved from 3801 Braddock Road. See the Public School Administration Building at 3801 Braddock Road and Generous George’s Positive Pizza and Pasta for additional meeting sites for the AGLCA.

27. Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.7825°N, 77.2365°W — Fairfax County, VA)

The Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association (FLGCA) was a gay civics and social community group operating in Fairfax County. It formed in April 1988 to provide social activities and a political voice to government leaders for the Fairfax County gay community. In the suburbs of DC, homophobia had a stronger foothold. Queer people reported physical and verbal harassment from their neighbors, and queer Fairfax residents faced political threats from the Fairfax County Foundation for Moral Restoration. FLGCA organized to combat these homophobic elements and to find solidarity.

Our Own Community Press noted the impressive diversity of participants during FLGCA’s first year, which included a membership that was 40% lesbians and had active Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Deaf and hard of hearing members — a diversity not experienced by many other gay community groups of the time. FLGCA was the primary organizer of Gay Fairfax, a monthly newsmagazine produced in Fairfax for the gay and lesbian community from 1990–1993. FLGCA was active in local politics, with members testifying for the inclusion of homosexuality in a Family Life Education program. The group also worked with the Fairfax County Task Force on AIDS/HIV, with Beth Goodman serving on both steering committees. FLGCA cooperated with other Northern Virginian gay community groups, such as the Arlington Gay and Lesbian Alliance and the Alexandria Gay Citizens Association.

28. Gay and Lesbian Information Bureau (Approximate)

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.89°N, 77.08°W — Arlington, VA)

The Gay and Lesbian Information Bureau (GLIB) was a Bulletin Board System for the gay and lesbian community, based in Arlington, VA. GLIB was active from 1986–2001 and was accessible via PCs and telephone lines. GLIB was a data retrieval and communication service for the Washington, D.C. area’s gay organizations, operated by the non-profit Community Educational Services Foundation (CESF). It included lists of gay community groups and their newsletters, archives, and a private email system for GLIB members. GLIB’s Gay Database provided vital information about AIDS, sharing information from the FDA, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National AIDS Network, and more.

Use of GLIB was free but required prospective users to mail an application to CESF to confirm legal age and support for any gay community group. Jon Larimore, GLIB’s design engineer, wanted GLIB to be a central information resource for the greater DC-area’s gay community groups. Larimore operated GLIB from his home, but stressed the importance of community involvement. In an interview with Gay Fairfax, Larimore described GLIB as a “cooperative venture,” and credited the special interest group operators for keeping GLIB afloat. Examples of special interest groups, typically run as message boards, include a women-only group, a gay alcoholic support group, a cooking group, and a divorce support group.

In 1988, GLIB expanded its service with additional telephone lines and user channels. It included dozens of informational databases, special interest channels, and other features. GLIB was a founding member of GayCom, a large exclusively gay and lesbian communications service. As GLIB grew, its user base expanded beyond the DC-metro area and across the United States and Canada. Readers of Boardwatch Magazine repeatedly ranked GLIB as one of the nation’s top 10 best bulletin board systems. In 1999, GLIB transferred to the World Wide Web and became a non-membership service. GLIB embraced the connective power of the Internet, using it to empower the local DC, Virginia, and Maryland queer communities.

29. Passing Fancy

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.7907°N, 77.0774°W — Alexandria, VA)

Passing Fancy was a bulletin board system serving the transgender, transsexual, drag, and larger gender community. It was based in Alexandria, Virginia, and ran from 1987 to 1994, shutting down due to a lack of support. Passing Fancy had a private and public section. Users gained access to the public section by entering the code “FANCY” upon prompting. The private section required a membership, which cost $15. Bulletin board systems were a precursor to the World Wide Web, serving as networking and informational hubs, similar to a modern internet chatroom. Passing Fancy was advertised in transgender and transsexual community zines and magazines, such as Our Sorority, Gender Networker, and Cross-Talk.

Image Citation: Our Sorority Issue 15 (April 1987), Joseph A. Labadie Collection, University of Michigan. See https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/bg257f135.

30. Lamda Massage Parlor

Address: Not listed (approximate coordinates: 38.8055°N, 77.0484°W — Alexandria, VA)

Opened in 1974, Lamda Massage Parlor was a site which advertised its male masseurs. While there is nothing inherently queer about a massage parlor, Lamda was advertised in the Washington Blade. Massage parlors have a long history of being associated with sex work and with cruising, and this may have been the case with Lamda. Though it is difficult to know what exactly went on inside — especially since the massage parlor is not mentioned anywhere else in the Blade or other local press and it changed hands by the late 1970s — it is possible that Lamda Massage Parlor was a cruising space. Cruising comes in many forms. Elsewhere on this map you can find gay bars, which were almost certainly used as spaces to find sexual partners, and parks where many gay men went to seek anonymous sex. But cruising can also be done in other community spaces, like massage parlors, where patrons are often less dressed than they might usually be in other public places.

End of transcript. Suggested citation: Savannah Scott, Hannah LeComte, Ashleigh Williams, and Alexandra Miller, Out and About, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (2025): https://doi.org/10.31835/outandabout-site.