A street in Virginia’s capital is now named for the woman behind one of America’s oldest lesbian bars
For almost 50 years, Vicky Hester embedded herself in the Virginia LGBTQ+community through her philanthropy and by running Babes of Carytown, one of the country’s oldest lesbian bars. Now, Richmond City Council officials are cementing her legacy, voting Monday to rename the street next to the business Hester operated “for those who needed acceptance” as “Vicky Hester Way.” Hester, who died in September 2025 at 71, opened Babes of Carytown in 1987 in the Carytown neighborhood of Virginia’s capital as a steakhouse, but it soon became a gathering spot for lesbians and eventually the LGBTQ+ community. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ […]