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Last night at 7 p.m., approximately 30 LGBTs and their supporters gathered inside the Rite Aid at the corner of 13th and U St. NW for a "hug-in." The event was a response to the reported ousting of a hugging gay couple by the store's manager last week. Although organizer The New Gay had asked people not to give the store any warning, the staff (and security guard) didn't seem very surprised when the crowd began hugging instead of shopping.
It was quite heartwarming to see so many people hugging at once, with some hugging in pairs and some wrapped in friendly group hugs. The mood was positive, and as one hug-ee commented, "it feels nice to hug." Most customers simply went about their shopping, however one man yelled at the hugging crowd, "You are all going to burn in hell!" and then asked for the store manager, angrily inquiring if allowing "these people" to protest in their store was part of the company policy. Other than that, the hug-in was a lovely and peaceful protest.
More photos after the jump.
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It was terrible planning to have this at the same time as the High Heel race.
The hug-in was prior to the high heel race (but if you did this, you definitely wouldnt be able to get a good spot), but definitely could've chosen a better night to do this.
The DC Human Rights Office has said that they will investigate.
Wondering if the guy that shouted, "you're going to burn in hell," was shouting at the guys or girls?
Because god knows, it's okay for the girls to do it, but the guys? Oh, that's just nasty.
Aww
ces12
Right; who's gonna go to U Street for something at 7 then hoof it back to 17th & Q just in time to stand behind 500 people and not see diddly? Well, except for the person dressed as the Monument, and the queens who had the board game theme.
Hey - anyone notice Jim Graham's consituent Services rep there in the first photo? Was Jim there too?
Yes, jgbrc, Jim was there.
Do gay people even go to the high-heel races anymore? I stopped going when it became more of a spectacle for the hipster, sorrority girl, suburbanite, breeder contingencies. Glad to see it's still well attended. I hope everyone stayed and spent their suburban dollars in the neighborhood.
I wish I'd known about this protest. I think it's a nice way to get a point across. Perhaps not as nice as a "fornicate-in", but nice, nonethless.
Awwww. I'm glad someone got photos of this. I especially like the puzzled bystander in the second picture and the oblivious shopper i nthe first one.
Do gay people even go to the high-heel races anymore? I stopped going when it became more of a spectacle for the hipster, sorrority girl, suburbanite, breeder contingencies. Glad to see it's still well attended. I hope everyone stayed and spent their suburban dollars in the neighborhood.
I'm gay and I went. There do seem to be more and more hipster/sorority girl/suburbanite types every year, but still plenty of gays as well.
I think it's wonderful that the event attracts so many straight people, but not when they invade the 17th Street bars and get incredibly drunk and obnoxious (as I saw several do last night).
E in DC,
I see your point, and I did see a lot of Sorority-girl types ("OMG get a photo of me with this man dressed as a woman! Isn't he funny? I'M SO DRUNK!!!") but it seemed to me the LGBT community was out (sorry) in full force as well. I obviously don't expect the exact same crowd to attend both events, but I have a feeling a lot of LGBT and allies would have liked to, myself included. The turnout would have been better at Rite-Aid had they been scheduled apart, and it could have been a breathing, seething, mass of hug.
straight guys are all for gay marriage...
as long as the girls are hot.
Agreed, Southwest DC. When the event started to become more mainstream, I thought it was nice that the rest of the city was embracing the gay community. Then I tried to geta drink after the race. Ugh! I swear some had never been in a bar before, let alone a gay bar. Now it's just annoying idiots gawking at the guys in dresses and the boys holding hands and kissing. Meanwhile, the fact that in this city two men displaying affection for each other can still be considered a spectacle shocks me.
Anyway, I'm glad it's still "the event." Another reason I don't go is because I no longer can go out during the week. It's hell gettin' old.
SouthwestDC, really?
I used to live next to the Safeway on 17th and I saw my fair share of drunken, obnoxious queens (some of which fucked up my poor car something serious).
Race, gender or sexual orientation have NOTHING to do with a person's ability to hold his or her alcohol!!!!
Thanks Recyclist. We wanted to attend, but we didn't want to miss any of "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". (really - not trying to be sarcastic)
jgbrc, get a dvr and get out there and live life a little!
to everyone who went last night, well done. i think this is fantastic. it's peaceful and gets the point across. and yeah . . . i bet the hugging did feel great. i think the fornicate-in would also feel great but might not send the right message
kudos to the organizers
I love a drag queen that can hold her liquor. Reaffirms my feeling that all is right with queerdom and life in general.
This event should've been delayed until tonight, so all of the Ethiopian cab drivers who are on strike could have attended.
guest121, I'm sure there were some and I'm not disputing that there were. I just didn't see any in the bars. I did, however, have a very drunk sorority-type girl and an annoying hipster guy repeatedly crash into me as they tried to dance with each other.
I spend more time at straight bars than gay ones because I'm a girl, so I don't have a problem with straight drunk people in general, but there's a special type that are awfully rude and annoying. You know, the ones that normally would have been at Clarendon Ballroom or something.
Southwest -- Not to heap on you, but I just don't get how including "straight" in the last sentence of your first post added anything to your point. In fact, it kind of took away from it, because the problem is clearly the growing size of the crowd each year (and thus a greater tendency for said crowd to get out of hand), not what proportion of the crowd is of a particular orientation. Trying to explain that by way of a "gays act this way/straights act this way" dichotomy strikes me as narrow-minded to say the least.
Oops, your second post. Anyway, you get the idea.
There's a gay-organized event called guerilla queer bar where gay people "invade" a straight bar for the night. Ive never attended but hear the straights arent exactly too thrilled.
If they are allowed to get annoyed, cant the 'regulars' on 17th street do the same?
Mellbell, sorry, I don't know what sentence you're referring to, but I think you took what I said the wrong way (or maybe it came out the wrong way). I certainly don't believe in the whole "gays act this way/straights act this way" thing at all.
I was just saying that the event attracts some very drunk and obnoxious people who normally wouldn't be hanging out on 17th street. The drunk and obnoxious gays would be there normally so I'm used to them. :)
ces12: If I were in a straight bar and a group of gay patrons "invaded," my reaction would be somewhere between a shrug and "good on you." Maybe I'm an anomaly? Point is, why should anyone be annoyed in either scenario?
Southwest: It seems like we're kind of talking about the same thing in different terms. The issue is, as you said, "drunk and obnoxious people who normally wouldn't be hanging out on 17th street," but I just don't think throwing a straight label on it is necessary or helpful. Anytime an event grows in the way that this one has it's going to become increasingly unfettered. That's just how it goes.
DCFist: I believe the event was planned on two hours prior to the HHR so that a high concentration of homos would already be in the area. And it should go without saying that the Rite Aid at 13th and U is not that far from the finish line at 17th and R.
A few points:
1) We picked last night because we figured that a lot of homos might be up and around for the high-heel race (HHR) and we could enlist them to pre-party (so to speak) with us.
2) My take on the HHR is it's a night for the gays to bring out the worst in themselves (drinking, objectifying each other, general awful behavior, etc.) and for the straights to watch and laugh at the gays make fools of themselves. Like DCFist said, "OMG get a photo of me with this man dressed as a woman! Isn't he funny?"
3) Guerilla Queer Bar's participants are generally welcomed by their new found friends at the straight venues around the city. To learn more, visit their yahoo group.
4) Yeah, isn't The Great Pumpkin available on DVD now, too?
5) For you homos and homo-friendly straights out there who want to know more about the hug-in and similar events, please check out the yahoo group QUALM and visit www.thenewgay.net.
Thanks, people.
-M
MelBell:
Speaking as a homo that socializes in both worlds, there is definitely a different in drunk homo men and drunk hetero men. In all my many years at gay bars I've seen maybe one fight that went beyond basic verbal dissing. In straight bars, I've seen more physical fights than I can remember.
That's not to say all straight guys are jerk drunks prone to testosterone-fueled shenanigans. But if I had to say which crowd has the more abusive and annoying public manner when drunk, I'd say it'd be the straights. Especially the young ones.
Can't say I know as much about the girls, except to say that so many girls these days are total sluts. Not saying that's necessarily bad, but it's true. Which is why I think it's so funny when the crazy-ass right go on and on about slutty gays (they always forget about lesbians of course)......
Fox 5 has video of the hug-in: http://rurl.org/bgh.
and since i'm black, i like chicken and watermellon...I'LL DO IT FOR FREE, CHICKEN!!!
That's a beautiful thing.
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