Former DC Councilmember has new job as special events coordinator for strip club

Former D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham has a new job -- working for a strip club.

From D.C. politics to adult entertainment -- Graham's career is definitely swinging in a different direction. He is the special events coordinator for the nightclub called The House in the up-and-coming Park View neighborhood.

The House is an institution along Georgia Avenue. It even predates John Minor's barber shop, which he has had here in the area for 24 years.

But times are different, and Minor, known to his customers as John The Barber, said the idea of the nightclub catering to same-sex clientele is "just different. But it doesn't bother me. How could it?"

Just like the neighborhood, The House Nightclub is changing. Graham is helping by offering something this club has never seen before.

"We have two nights where we're really featuring male performers -- one night male performers for the ladies and another night of male performers for men," said Graham. "It's something new, it's something interesting. I think for the gay community, this is a lounge situation that they've never been in before."

He said The House will have separate dancers to cater to the different clientele.

Even though Graham's new career path may be an opportunity to help out the evolving neighborhood, some are not so sure if this is the way.

"As a gay resident, a gay family that moved into this area, we like to see the emergence of gay-friendly businesses," said Christopher Hamilton. "Strip club wasn't going to be my first choice though."

But Graham is completely content with his new adventure after spending years working in government and politics.

"This is something very different from all of that, and quite frankly, I wanted it to be something different," he told us.

He said the opening night event for the gay strippers is this Sunday. They will be wearing bow ties, and yes, there will be full nudity.

The event will serve as a fundraiser for the Whitman-Walker Health and they will do other fundraisers for local organizations on Sunday nights.