WASHINGTON β The community has rallied together to help keep As You Are DC up and running. This beloved bar, cafΓ© and space opened in 2022 at the corner of E and 8th Streets in Southeast D.C.
"This location was really important to us. It has a deep queer history on Barracks Row it used to be called the gay way," said Rach Pike.
Jo McDaniel and Rach Pike say As You Are (AYA) functions as a cafΓ© early in the day and transitions into a bar at night.
"It is not a gay bar. It's not just a lesbian bar. It is a queer bar, and our mission is to prioritize the most marginalized people in this already marginalized community," said Pike.
However, it's not just a bar.
"We're not just a gay bar, we're not just a lesbian bar, we're not just a bar," said McDaniel.
They're a space.
"We exist to lighten the load for the queer community to take burden To create a space where burden can be set down," said Pike.
So, when they began to face financial struggles, they were hesitant to ask for help.
"The end of 2023 was really a rough time for sales, I think citywide a lot of places saw a downturn in sales," said McDaniel.
"We did not want to burden our community with this. But, we know darn well if we had gotten to a place where we had to close and hadn't said a word they'd been real mad at us," said Pike.
So they launched a GoFundMe Page, that as of Tuesday night had surpassed more than $96,000.
"The feeling is just gratitude I think I'm wildly in awe of our community," said Pike.
They said the money will go towards chipping away at their debts, and working on a way to make As You Are, sustainable.
They told WUSA9 Tuesday night their doors will remain open and that no matter how bad things get, they promise this space, will remain a safe space.
"We support you, we see you, you're good here," they said.
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