A neighborhood leather bar in Washington, DC is struggling in the aftermath of a massive insurance rate hike, and they’re asking for help from the community.

Uproar, a bar for bears, their admirers and the leather community located on Florida Ave. in Northwest DC, has been a fixture in the Shaw/U Street neighborhood for nine years. The restaurant/lounge hosts a popular rooftop tea dance for patrons of all kinds on Sunday afternoons. Several local LGBTQ+ groups call the space home, as well.

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The bar’s owner, Tammy Truong, put out the appeal on the bar’s website and a GoFundMe page.

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“Due to significant increases in insurance costs for 2025, we’ve had to deplete our reserves from our summer sales. As a result, we are now struggling to cover rent and utility costs through the winter,” Truong wrote.

​”Our top priority is to ensure that our amazing staff, who are the heart and soul of Uproar, are fully supported. We are committed to keeping them fully employed and scheduled during this difficult time so they can continue to provide for themselves and their families.”

“At Uproar, we strive to remain a welcoming and affordable space for our community, and every donation will go directly toward covering rent and utilities. Any additional funds will be used to repair and prepare our space in time for World Pride 2025.”

They’ve raised about $5000 out of a $100,000 goal.

Uproar has faced other obstacles over the years, including a dramatic falloff in business during the COVID pandemic and a bout of opposition from a neighborhood advisory committee directed at all bars and lounges in the popular nightlife area.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission1B voted unanimously in 2019 to oppose the liquor license renewal of Uproar and 22 other establishments in the U Street-Florida Avenue area claiming they had a negative impact on “peace, order, and quiet” in the neighborhood. The city’s liquor board ignored their advice, but the action cost Uproar and other establishments significant lawyers’ fees.

“For over nine years Uproar has been an integral part of the D.C. LGBTQIA+ community,” the bar’s GoFundMe appeal reads. “It has been a place of refuge for many people and has been a space where people have been allowed to express themselves freely.”

“We want to continue to be a place where everyone feels they belong. We want to continue to celebrate the vibrant LGBT community and be a sanctuary for all as we move into the coming years,” they added.

Uproar signed the appeal, “love.”

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