This June, you can stay somewhere that shows off a little pride and a lot of color.
Virginia Pride and New York artist and former Richmonder Scott Csoke turned one of Quirk Hotel’s rooms into the “Gayest Room Ever” to kick off Pride Month.
Curated and styled by Csoke, the pop-up room is a celebration of the Richmond area’s queer community and features works by local LGBTQ+ artists along with pieces and memorabilia from Richmond’s own LGBTQ+ history.
“I wanted it to be kind of like a celebration of my own experience of being queer, and also my experience of being queer in Richmond when I lived here, so I brought those two ideas together,” Csoke explains, adding that it took them about a month to design a concept idea for the space.
It was also a way of giving back to a city that helped them discover who they were.
“I also wanted it to be inviting and welcoming and colorful and of course, have some pink involved,” they laugh.
Featured in the room are works by artists Justice Dwight, Michael A. Pierce, Michael-Birch Pierce, and J. Alan Cumbey (who also served as Style Weekly’s classified manager from 1987 to 1989 and wrote a column under the irreverent persona “Mr. Classified”). Other historic pieces on display throughout the room include feather props on loan from the Richmond Triangle Players’ production of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” crowns and sashes provided by local drag entertainers Alvion Arnell Davenport and Tiffany Hunter Monique, and historic photos from Richmond’s LGBTQ+ community provided by the Valentine and the Virginia History of Museum and Culture.
The pop-up room is open for booking through September and is part of Virginia Pride’s Endless Summer of Pride that includes sporting events, music shows, dance parties, family activities and more throughout June. Richmond Region Tourism provided the grant for the room’s creation and Quirk Hotel will make a $10 donation to Virginia Pride for every “Gayest Room Ever” booking online. The organization is also hosting a sweepstakes to win a free two-night stay at the “Gayest Room Ever” during Pridefest on Sept. 27 at Midtown Green.
“This room is an expression of how beautiful, diverse and incredible the Richmond region’s LGBTQ+ community is,” said Virginia Pride Executive Director James Millner in a press release. “We’re grateful for Quirk and the many partners who helped us bring the room to life. We can’t wait for LGBTQ+ travelers and allies to experience the room while visiting the Richmond region this summer.”
“I want people who stay here to like the room and be excited about it obviously, but I want them to hopefully learn something about Richmond’s queer history too,” Csoke says. “I feel like it’s not something that’s really publicized or shared openly. We have to rely on each other to continue sharing that culture and history, and I hope this room helps with that.”
The “Gayest Room Ever” can be booked through Quirk Hotel’s website and will be available through the end of September. For more information about Virginia Pride, visit vapride.org. Below are some more images from the room.
