RICHMOND, Va. β Tributes continue to pour in for Vicky Hester, the founder of Babes of Carytown, one of the oldest lesbian bars in the United States. She died Tuesday at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer.
"I just can't even think about, you know, her being gone is hard, but she was an amazing person, just amazing," said Chas Warren, bar manager at Babes of Carytown.
Warren shared his memories of Hester, trying to put into words the impactful legacy an icon in Richmond's LGBTQ+ community leaves behind.
"It's just heartbreaking. You never β she's such a strong person that you always thought that she would be here. You couldn't imagine life without her, sort of thing, and now we have to navigate how to live without her," Warren said.
The foundation of Hester's legacy was as the owner of Babes of Carytown. Founded in 1978, it is one of the oldest lesbian bars in the country.
"She wanted you to feel like you were at home when you came through those doors, no matter how you dressed, who you loved. She wanted you to feel welcome here," Warren said.
Warren started working at Babes after they reopened from COVID-19, but said he first met Hester in 2016, giving her a big hug when he realized just who she was.
"I said, 'Thank you so much. Thank you so much for creating that safe queer space for everyone,'" Warren said.
Wednesday, a memorial to Hester continued to grow outside the bar, with many leaving notes of sympathy and thanks. But signs of Hester's legacy beyond the walls of Babes were also on display as a Richmond church was picking up hundreds of dollars of food that Hester donated to their food pantry β something she did every week.
"It's called The Vicky Hester Food Pantry, I'm not kidding," said David Peake of Metropolitan Community Church of Richmond.
"She loves her community, and that's her way of showing it," Peake said.
Warren said that is just one example of Hester's widespread philanthropy.
"We also do so much more with Stonewall Sports. They have a whole beneficiary program, and we donate to them. We host multiple fundraisers here a year," Warren said.
As for how Warren and Babes intend to carry on the legacy that Hester built, he said it's something they talked about before she passed and that one of the last things she said to him was "keep it going."
"You got to keep showing up. That's what it is. That's how you form community. So we're gonna keep going, and we're gonna have everyone keep on showing up, and Babes will still be here for everyone that wants to come in," Warren said. "Safe spaces were created. They weren't needed as much and now they're needed again, unfortunately, and that's what she wanted to keep it going as."
Babes says they are keeping their regular hours, so if you want to come by to pay tribute to Vicky you're welcome to. They add they're still finalizing details for a celebration of life, but encourage people wanting to honor her to make a donation to the food bank that bears her name at the Metropolitan Community Church of Richmond.
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