On Tuesday, Sept. 2, Vicky Hester, longtime owner of “Babes of Carytown,” one of the nation’s oldest and last remaining lesbian bars, passed away from cancer at the age of 71. For nearly 40 years, Babes endured while many other queer spaces disappeared. 

Though known as an LGBTQIA+ landmark, Babes was much more. I often dined on Vicky’s daily lunch specials, and in the late 1990s, her restaurant became a welcome refuge from a toxic workplace. 

After moving from Fredericksburg to Richmond in the late 1980s, Babes also became part of the Carytown landscape for my wife and me, a dramatic landmark we passed on our nightly walks through the Fan District. 

I offer condolences to everyone touched by Vicky Hester and to all who ever enjoyed a meal or drink at Babes of Carytown. 

RICK KNIGHT 

Henrico