Tomorrow, as per tradition, hundreds of drag queens will race down 17th Street between R and Church Streets NW. According to Metro Weekly, the 24th annual Dupont High Heel Race will see a couple of changes this year: One, you won’t be able to drink beer outside anymore. And two, it’s political this time.

Read More “Dupont High Heel Race Gets Political” »

Tomorrow, Cure CVS Now and a coalition of public health advocates will gather outside the Dupont Circle CVS store in an attempt to pressure the pharmacy chain to rethink its locked condom policies. The ultimate goal of the “rally and press conference” is to convince “CVS to adopt a corporate policy to keep all condoms unlocked at all times.” A letter to CVS CEO Tom Ryan will be unveiled!

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Point taken: Cobalt spikes its high-heel ban.

On a cold February night last year, Sara, a 24-year-old straight woman, slipped on the perfect shoes for winter bar-hopping: suede boots with a chunky 2-inch heel. She and her friends—another straight woman and a few gay men—were heading out for a night of dancing at Cobalt, a gay club on the 17th Street strip. When they reached the door, a bouncer stopped Sara and refused to let her in, citing the bar’s longstanding no-high-heel policy. “There could be men at the club wearing flip-flops,” the bouncer told Sara—and her big, bad boots could endanger an exposed little piggy.
Read More “Cobalt Retires Its Shoe Fetish” »

Thirty fabulous seconds from last night’s Dupont Circle High Heel Race. Includes: men in women’s clothing; giant phallic Washington Monument costume; swarming mob.

Trouble viewing? Try the youtube version.

It feels good to live in a city where city council candidates gather to vie for the attentions of several thousand intoxicated men dressed in glorious splendor. In case you missed Washington’s leggiest pre-Halloween tradition, the Dupont Circle High Heel Race, here’s some photo evidence of the event. It’s just a taste—I’ll upload a video later on.

In case you haven’t signed up to volunteer for the high heel race—or run it yourself—you can take in all the ostentatious glory of this pre-Halloween drag tradition tonight between P and S Streets on 17th Street. The parade up and down 17th (which will be closed) begins around 7 p.m.; the race starts at 9 p.m., and lasts about 15 minutes.

Photo of last year’s race by Poldavo (Alex)