Heaven, The Gay Ultradis - And The Story Of Terry Higgs | Londonist

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• HEAVEN, THE GAY ULTRADIS - AND THE STORY OF TERRY HIGGS
• G-A-Y @ HEAVENONE OF THE LONGT-NNG GAY DANCE VENU ANYWHERE EUROPE. TODAY 'S HOME TO G.A.Y WEEKLY PARTI.LONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSG-A-Y @ HEAVEN
• THE CAFTAN CHRONICL SUBSCRIBESIGN {"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","URL":","MAENTYOFPAGE":","HEADLE":"IAN LEVE WAS THE 1980S DJ AT HEAVEN, THE INIC LONDON GAY CLUB, AND ALSO GAVE US \"SO MANY MEN, SO LTLE TIME\"","SCRIPTN":"THE BRISH MIC OBSSIVE AND PRODUCER WASN'T AN EASY TERVIEW. BUT HE DID HAVE SOME SPICY STORI ABOUT PULLG HOT BOYS WHE SHORTS OFF THE DANCE FLOOR AND BRGG THEM UP TO HIS DJ BOOTH.","IMAGE":[{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":"}],"DATEPUBLISHED":"2023-01-17T15:00:38+00:00","DATEMODIFIED":"2023-01-17T15:00:38+00:00","ISACCSIBLEFORFREE":FALSE,"THOR":[{"@TYPE":"PERSON","NAME":"TIM MURPHY","URL":","SCRIPTN":"AUTHOR OF THE NOVELS CHRISTODORA AND CORRPONNTS (MAY 2019). LGBT, HIV/AIDS, CULTURE AND POLICS NTRIBUTOR FOR NYTIM, NYMAG, THE NATN, POZ, ETC.","INTIFIER":"ER:5275890","SAMEAS":["],"IMAGE":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"}}],"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"THE CAFTAN CHRONICL ","URL":","SCRIPTN":"DEEP TALKS WH NOTABLE GAY MEN \"OF A CERTA AGE\" ABOUT WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHO WE ARE TODAY AND WHERE WE'RE GOG...","TERACTNSTATISTIC":{"@TYPE":"INTERACTNCOUNTER","NAME":"SUBSCRIBERS","TERACTNTYPE":","ERINTERACTNCOUNT":100},"INTIFIER":"PUB:429772","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"},"IMAGE":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"},"SAMEAS":["]}}SHARE THIS POSTIAN LEVE WAS THE 1980S DJ AT HEAVEN, THE INIC LONDON GAY CLUB, AND ALSO GAVE US "SO MANY MEN, SO LTLE TIME"COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHERIAN LEVE WAS THE 1980S DJ AT HEAVEN, THE INIC LONDON GAY CLUB, AND ALSO GAVE US "SO MANY MEN, SO LTLE TIME"
• NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON

HEAVEN, THE GAY ULTRADIS - AND THE STORY OF TERRY HIGGS

Wele to Heaven, the 'gay ultradis nightclub' on Villiers Street.

Wele to Heaven, the 'gay ultradis nightclub' on Villiers Street, a street so laced wh queer sctn is even named after Kg Jam I's lover, Gee Villiers, the 2nd De of Buckgham, the 17th century. Daytim were spent ntuo back-breakg meetgs, protts and the creatn of alternative spac to close the void of the ‘partial’ aspect of the law – the different age of sexual nsent for homosexuals, and the discrepanci of acceptance across the whole LGBTQIA+ muny. At the time of s openg, Heaven was the biggt gay club Europe.

The Eveng Standard, reviewg Heaven's openg night, was clearly imprsed: "Heaven's biggt headache uld be terrg London's non-gay disphil who uld end up tryg to pass for gay to get past the elegant bouncers at the dis's equivalent of the Pearly Gat. Gay dis and hi-energy beme the soundtrack to the parallel scen that took over Heaven and gay Earl's Court.

G-A-Y @ HEAVENONE OF THE LONGT-NNG GAY DANCE VENU ANYWHERE EUROPE. TODAY 'S HOME TO G.A.Y WEEKLY PARTI.LONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSG-A-Y @ HEAVEN

The liberatn takg place on the dancefloor, however, didn't stop the tabloid prs om producg homophobic headl, which the News of the World nmned the place as 'more like hell' 1981.

THE CAFTAN CHRONICL SUBSCRIBESIGN {"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","URL":","MAENTYOFPAGE":","HEADLE":"IAN LEVE WAS THE 1980S DJ AT HEAVEN, THE INIC LONDON GAY CLUB, AND ALSO GAVE US \"SO MANY MEN, SO LTLE TIME\"","SCRIPTN":"THE BRISH MIC OBSSIVE AND PRODUCER WASN'T AN EASY TERVIEW. BUT HE DID HAVE SOME SPICY STORI ABOUT PULLG HOT BOYS WHE SHORTS OFF THE DANCE FLOOR AND BRGG THEM UP TO HIS DJ BOOTH.","IMAGE":[{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":"}],"DATEPUBLISHED":"2023-01-17T15:00:38+00:00","DATEMODIFIED":"2023-01-17T15:00:38+00:00","ISACCSIBLEFORFREE":FALSE,"THOR":[{"@TYPE":"PERSON","NAME":"TIM MURPHY","URL":","SCRIPTN":"AUTHOR OF THE NOVELS CHRISTODORA AND CORRPONNTS (MAY 2019). LGBT, HIV/AIDS, CULTURE AND POLICS NTRIBUTOR FOR NYTIM, NYMAG, THE NATN, POZ, ETC.","INTIFIER":"ER:5275890","SAMEAS":["],"IMAGE":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"}}],"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"THE CAFTAN CHRONICL ","URL":","SCRIPTN":"DEEP TALKS WH NOTABLE GAY MEN \"OF A CERTA AGE\" ABOUT WHERE WE'VE BEEN, WHO WE ARE TODAY AND WHERE WE'RE GOG...","TERACTNSTATISTIC":{"@TYPE":"INTERACTNCOUNTER","NAME":"SUBSCRIBERS","TERACTNTYPE":","ERINTERACTNCOUNT":100},"INTIFIER":"PUB:429772","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"},"IMAGE":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","NTENTURL":","THUMBNAILURL":"},"SAMEAS":["]}}SHARE THIS POSTIAN LEVE WAS THE 1980S DJ AT HEAVEN, THE INIC LONDON GAY CLUB, AND ALSO GAVE US "SO MANY MEN, SO LTLE TIME"COPY LKFACEBOOKEMAILNOTOTHERIAN LEVE WAS THE 1980S DJ AT HEAVEN, THE INIC LONDON GAY CLUB, AND ALSO GAVE US "SO MANY MEN, SO LTLE TIME"

"Prr to the arrival of Heaven, gay clubs were only found unrground pub cellars", rells Mark Elltt, current general manager, "Heaven was the only venue of s sle the last few years before the arrival of the AIDS epimic. There's a new VD, a venereal disease that is affectg people who are gay men Ameri, where you jt keep gettg flu and then you die. Rupert was fully aware, and eply sred of what the few reports were referrg to as the 'Gay Cancer' which then beme known as 'Gay Related Immune Deficiency' or GRID.

Casual homophobia of the time laid bare; there were no 'heterosexualy-related ndns' that affect primarily heterosexuals and there still aren't. Lbians were nursg gay iends, bee as a muny we had to e together.

They banned gays om the funeral. The alchemy of grief led this small group of mted volunteers to foc all their energi and try to build relatnships and work equally wh gay men, lbians, haemophiliacs, sex workers and dg ers to raise funds for rearch and awarens of the still unknown illns. In the subsequent years, had opened s doors the daytime to serve the needs of the muny as the AIDS epimic beme a turng pot for gays and lbians Bra.

NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON

The followg year, a public meetg about GRID was -anised by THT and the London Lbian and Gay Swchboard (now known as Swchboard LGBT+ Helple), the biggt LGBTQIA+ telephone helple at the time to rpond to the risg aths and the simultaneo, adly Government bigotry and actn. As mentned prevly, 1986 homosexuals were seen as 'swirlg a csp of their own makg', the words of Greater Manchter Chief Constable Jam Anrton, who later claimed God told him to say . The rise of the 'moral majory' vilified people diagnosed wh AIDS, and the wir gay muny.

Headl at the time clud "Gay — and Wicked" (the Sun), and "Bra Threatened by Gay Vis Plague" (the Mail on Sunday).

The batn of misunrstandg of the HIV vis and AIDS, and an fluential and homophobic right-wg prs helped to create a culture of tolerance, homophobia and fear among the Brish public at the exact time that thoands of nocent people were beg HIV+ and were dyg unnecsarily — or beg murred, as I now realise. Heaven is renowned as one of the longt-nng gay dance clubs Europe.