A street in Virginia’s capital is now named for the woman behind one of America’s oldest lesbian bars

For almost 50 years, Vicky Hester embedded herself in the Virginia LGBTQ+ community through her philanthropy and by running Babes of Carytown, one of the country's oldest lesbian bars. Now, Richmond City Council officials are cementing her legacy, voting Monday to rename the street next to the business Hester operated "for those who needed acceptance" as “Vicky Hester Way.”Hester, who died in September 2025 at 71, opened Babes of Carytown in 1987 in the Carytown neighborhood of Virginia’s capital as a steakhouse, but it soon became a gathering spot for lesbians and eventually the LGBTQ+ community.“It’s always been about pride, and community, and a place to not only come together but struggle together,” Hester told RVA Magazine in 2025.Related: Owner of America's second-oldest lesbian bar, Babes of Carytown, has diedBabes of Carytown, which calls itself “the oldest lesbian bar on the East Coast,” sits at the corner of West Cary Street and South Auburn Avenue; officials voted to rename a section of South Auburn Avenue in Hester’s honor.The measure, backed by 5th District Councilmember Stephanie Lynch and Mayor Danny Avula, WWBT reports, allows the Department of Public Works to install signs at each end of the block.“There’s no words for Vicky Hester,” The Richmonder reports Lynch saying about the original measure. “She brought light everywhere, and she still brings it because she created a space where everyone can be loved.”Hester “was more than a business owner,” Travis Warren said to the council in support of the measure. “Through Babe’s of Carytown, she created a place for generations of people to experience life and find home and family.”NBC affiliate WWBT reports Hester hosted fundraisers for local nonprofits at the venue, backed initiatives with Virginia Pride, and donated food to the Metropolitan Community Church of Richmond’s food pantry.The designation is extra meaningful in a state like Virginia, where middle school st