Strip clubs, gay venu nearby, London landmark buildg to be turned to mosque - India Today

queer spaces east london

They survived homophobia and Thatcher. But is gentrifitn now soundg the ath knell for gay clubs and pubs? We meet the artists battlg to save them

Contents:

\NQUEER-FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOODS\NAS A METROPOLIS OF ART, BS, AND SIGN, LONDON IS A CY STEEPED QUEER HISTORY. FAMO PATRONS LIKE DAVID BOWIE PHED SEXUAL BOUNDARI, EMBRACG QUEER PEOPLE TO SOCIETY, MARCHG AND PROTTG FOR WHAT MAK LONDON ONE OF THE MOST EXCG AND CLIVE STATNS FOR LGBTQ+ PEOPLE THE WORLD.\NCENTRAL OR “WT END”- SOHO – OLD COMPTON STREET. \NNO TRIP TO LONDON WOULD EVER BE PLETE WHOUT VISG THE HUB OF LONDON’S QUEER LIFE THAT IS SOHO. SCE THE DAWN OF QUEER CULTURE,AS EARLY AS THE 17TH CENTURY—OM PUBS TO CLUBS, RTRANTS TO THEATRE PRODUCTNS—SOHO HAS BEEN FIRMLY THE BEATG HEART OF LONDON’S LGBTQ+ MUNY. EVERYDAY, OLD COMPTON STREET AND THE SURROUNDG AREA BUZZ WH TOURISTS AND QUEER FOLK ALIKE, WH NEON LIGHTS GLOWG MORNG TO NIGHT. HAPPY HOUR IS EVERY HOUR SOHO, SO YOU’LL NEVER MISS A BEAT!\NEAST LONDON \NEAST LONDON PLAYS HOST TO SOME OF LONDON’S MOST ECLECTIC LGBTQ+ VENU. WHERE GR AND GLAMOUR LLI TO CREATE LONDON’S ALTERNATIVE QUEER SCENE, THE EAST END STREETS BARE THE SOULS OF THE UNRGROUND CREATIVE FOLK, WHOSE BOUNDLS TALENT AND STYLE BRG TOGETHER A DIVERSE MIX OF MIC, FASHN, AND DIS DANCG BCHERY.\NSOUTH LONDON \NTHE AREA HAS A QUEER HISTORY AS FAR BACK AS SOHO, WH THE AREA FAMO FOR S BARET AND DRAG ACTS, DATG BACK BEFORE THE 1950S! SOUTH LONDON IS A VIBRANT SCENE OF OLD AND NEW, WHERE RELICS MEET REGENERATN, WH VXHALL, CLAPHAM, KENNGTON, AND PECKHAM AMONGST THE MOST POPULAR AREAS OF THIS GAYBOURHOOD. FROM WAREHOE CLUBS TO MALE AND FEMALE ONLY GYMS, THE SOUTH LONDON LIFTYLE BOASTS AN IRISCENT SPECTM OF PEOPLE AND PLAC TO DISVER.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":1732561249},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":288,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":928,"PTN":"EAST LONDON, A QUTSENTIAL QUEER NEIGHBORHOOD. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1237,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20646,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":562657992},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"BT HOTELS\NW HOTEL \NLOTED AMONGST THE GLZ AND GLAMOUR OF LONDON’S WT END, AND ONLY A SASHAY AWAY OM SOHO, THE W HOTEL IS A SLEEK AND CHIC STATN. WH THE RECENT LNCH OF S FUNKY BAR AND LOUNGE, THE PERCEPTN, LIKE THE RT OF THE HOTEL, PTUR THE THE KSCHY/MPY SOUL OF LONDON WH EXPERIENC LIKE “WHAT’S THE TEA?” A LECTABLE DRAG AFTERNOON TEA, OR “QUEER ME OUT,” A GENR FLUID FASHN EXTRAVAGANZA. WHETHER YOU’RE CHECKED OR STOPPG BY, THE W LONDON IS FELY ONE TO CHECK OUT.\NTHE CURTA\NCURTA ROAD, EAST LONDON IS A MERA-READY HOTEL AND MEMBERS CLUB LOTED A SHORT WALK OM OLD STREET STATN. WHETHER BE AN OVERNIGHT VIS OR A WEEKEND AWAY, THE ROOFTOP POOL AND RTRANT ARE FEATUR WORTH FEASTG OVER—THE BNCH IS PECIALLY FABULO. BELOW THE NCE OF THE CHICLY SIGNED ROOMS IS HOED A SLEEK SCREENG AND DIS ROOM, NOTABLY PREMIERG EXCLIVE QUEER IENDLY EVENTS AND FILMS, SUCH AS RU PL’S DRAG RACE VIEWG PARTI AND SECRET LIVE PERFORMANC OM QUEER ARTISTS. IT’S A VIQP (VERY IMPORTANT QUEER PERSON) VENUE WORTH VISG.\NACE HOTEL, SHOREDCH\NOF THE CREATIVE AND ECLECTIC, GLOBALLY-KNOWN CHA OF ACE HOTELS, THE SHOREDCH LOTN DO EVERYTHG TO ENPASS THE BRAND’S NOTABLE HIPNS WH A DASH OF EAST LONDON REALNS. DAY OR NIGHT THIS HOTEL LOBBY BUZZ WH CREATIVE ACTIVY. WH AN IMPRSIVE ROOFTOP AND EQUALLY FABULO RTRANT, ’S NO WONR THIS SOULFUL SE PLAYS HOMAGE TO S NEIGHBOURHOOD BY HOSTG AN ARRAY OF ENGAGG QUEER EVENTS. THE HOTEL PROUDLY ADVOT AS A TSTED LGBTQ+ STATN, WELG QUEERS AND ALLI ALIKE TO ENJOY LIVE PERFORMANC OM DRAG ARTISTS AND MICIANS, TO DANCG THE NIGHT AWAY AT ONE OF THEIR MANY QUEER NIGHTS HELD THEIR NIGHTCLUB, MIRANDA.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":1265837163},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":266,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":856,"PTN":"GAY'S THE WORD BOOKSTORE. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1141,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20653,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960},{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":280,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":900,"PTN":"GAY'S THE WORD BOOKSTORE. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20652,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":2507913162},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"QUEER-OWNED BS \NQUEER SALONS\NEXPLORG YOUR INTY N OFTEN MEAN EXPERIMENTG WH PERSONAL STYLE, LIKE EXPRSG YOUR NER SELF WH A HAIRDO TO MATCH. OPEN BARBERS (HOXTON), TUTTII FTII (DEPTFORD) AND BLA (SOHO) ARE ALL HAIR SALONS THAT PRI THEMSELV ON AN OPEN AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL GENRS AND SEXUALI. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT EACH SALON IS THE RE AND ATTENTN WELG EVERYBODY TO THEIR SPACE, WH AFFORDABLE PRIC THAT REFLECT THEIR LOVE OF MUNY. I ONLY WISH PLAC LIKE THIS EXISTED WHEN I WAS GROWG UP AND EXPERIMENTG WH MY INTY. WHETHER ’S A CKTAIL AND CUT AT BLA’S, OR A TECHNILOUR TRANSFORMATN AT TUTTIIFTII’S, THE QUEER OWNED SALONS MAKE TREATG YOURSELF A BUZZ-WORTHY EXPERIENCE.\NDALSTON SUPERSTORE\NFOR A SUNDAY BNCH WH ALL THE BELLS AND BAR-DANCG DIVAS, QUEER GEM DALSTON SUPERSTORE OFFERS AN EXTRA SI OF SASS WH YOUR SUNDAY SERVICE. NOT ONLY KNOWN FOR THEIR INIC LGBTQ+ NIGHTLIFE (A FE ‘TO-DO’ TOO), THE FUN DON’T STOP WHEN THE MORNG RIS THE EAST. LOTED ALONG KGSLAND ROAD, ‘BASIC BNCH’, SERVED BY ONE OF MY DRAG FAVOUR A MAN TO PET, WILL HAVE YOUR EGGS POACHED PERFECTLY WH A DASH OF BCHERY, LEAVG YOU FULL OF LICLY PUT-TOGETHER FOOD AND FUN. CELEBRATG S 10TH BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR, ’S ONE OF FEW QUEER PLAC LEFT THAT GUID ME AND MANY OTHERS THROUGH QUEER ADOLCENCE, SUPPORTG THE WHOLE LGBTQ+ MUNY, PROVIDG A SAFE SPACE TO DANCE, FD LOVE, AND MEET LIKE-MD PEOPLE OVER A BEVVY.\N \N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":1462621656},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":557,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":376,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":557,"WIDTH":562,"PTN":"INSI SH! ","HEIGHT":557,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":557,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20659,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":562},{"RETAHEIGHT":369,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":560,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":369,"WIDTH":562,"PTN":"SH! ","HEIGHT":369,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":368,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":369,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":369,"ID":20660,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":562},{"RETAHEIGHT":548,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":383,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":548,"WIDTH":562,"PTN":"BRILL CAFE. ","HEIGHT":548,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":548,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20644,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":562}],"ID":3094264380},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"GAY’S THE WORD\NFOR OVER 40 YEARS, GAY’S THE WORD BOOKSTORE HAS BEEN A TREASURED ROURCE AND SAFE SPACE FOR EVERY MANIFTATN OF THE MUNY OF ALL AG AND GENERATNS. SUATED THE CHARMG STREETS OF BLOOMSBURY, CROSSG THE DOORWAY YOU ARE STANTLY MET BY WONRFULLY ATTENTIVE GENERAL MANAGERS, ULILENART AND JIM. BEYOND THE BOOKSHELV, YOU’RE PTIVATED BY THE NVERSATNS PEOPLE ARE SHARG, ELEVATED BY THE -PTH PERSONAL REMENDATNS PENNED BY THE WONRFULLY ATTENTIVE STAFF. \NSH!\NI’D POPPED TO GRAB A FFEE AT PFIELD LONDON HOXTON WHEN I FIRST STUMBLED ACROSS SH! IT WAS LIKE DISVERG A NGHTY NARNIA, HIDN THROUGH A SECRET DOORWAY. NTLED WH A WHOLOME EAST LONDON Fé, SH! HAS PNEERED ONE OF THE ONLY FEMALE-FIRST EROTIC BOUTIQU THE UNTRY SCE 1992. THE SPIRG LADI WHO WORK HERE ARE AS WONRFULLY PASSNATE ABOUT THEIR WOMAN-POWERED ETHOS AS THE STIMULATG ARRAY OF PRODUCT ADORNG THE SHELV. SHARG THEIR SECRETS AT REFULLY CURATED (AND OFTEN SOLD OUT!) TALKS AND WORKSHOPS LEAVE YOU FEELG MORE EMPOWERED BY YOUR BODY AND SEXUALY THAN EVER BEFORE, CELEBRATG THAT SEXUALY AND GENR IS NOT ONE-SIZE-FS-ALL. \NBRILL CAFé \NA PROUDLY PENNT FE AND MIC STORE, LOTED EXMOUTH MARKET, BRILL OFFERS MORE THAN JT A GREAT CUP OF FFEE. THE WALLS AT THIS APTLY-NAMED FE DISPLAY A WELL-CURATED LLECTN OF VYL, ALONGSI A WELL STOCKED SHELF OF QUEER MAGAZ TO BROWSE. EACH MORNG, SOMEONE OM THE STAFF CYCL TO BRICK LANE TO LLECT A H BATCH OF FAMO BAGELS, AND IF THE VEGAN ROCKY ROADS AREN’T VG ENOUGH, BRILL PRIS SELF ON BEG A QUEER-IENDLY STATN, HOSTG EVENTS SUCH AS QUEER MIC AND POETRY NIGHTS, EVEN FIXG UP SOME AFTER-HOURS PRI PUNCH FOR THE OCSN. \N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":3904646128},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":280,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":900,"PTN":"TATE BRA. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20664,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":1231783932},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"ARTS & CULTURE

* queer spaces east london *

The mols didn’t reprent buildgs of any great distctn, but to members of the dience they were a faiar lp: the Black Cap, the Joers Arms, the Glass Bar, the Lbian and Gay Centre.

LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

Drag Race UK star Bimi exclively tells the pws (, GAY TIMES) about her top five favoure LGBTQ+ venu East London.  * queer spaces east london *

“Some of the media narrativ were around technology and Gaydar, Grdr, how that’s changed everythg, ” says Campk. ”The loss have clud fixtur of the London scene: the Coleherne Earl’s Court, which had been gog sce the 1930s; Islgton’s olst gay pub, the Kg Edward IV, and the Black Cap Camn, which closed 2015 after 50 years.

Wh plenty of queer history, gay bars, and performance spac, 's easy to fd the bt gay nightlife, acmodatn, and attractns for LGBTQ travelers London. * queer spaces east london *

Some – like the London Lbian and Gay Centre (LLGC), which closed 1992, and First Out Cafe, swept asi by the Crossrail velopment – functned as muny spac durg the day. The LLGC, set up a poultry facily Smhfield by the Greater London Council the early years of the Aids epimic, faced hostily, not least om the people who might have helped to nvert – Campk says simply fdg a non-homophobic nstctn pany was a stggle. Once the centre was su, however, hosted a dis, fe, bookshop and a women-only floor, as well as spac for mpaigng … a diary om the London Lbian and Gay Centre.

“A lot of our work looks at this shiftg moment between what I would ll ‘gay bars’ and a more queer inty. “I ed to tune to ble om the next-door neighbours and I’d stay up till midnight to watch 10 mut of Freeview off the gay channel, which had footage of plac like Heaven and the Fridge.

Photograph: Courty the artist and Southard ReidSahib’s Helix IV memorialis yet another kd of space: Charts gay sna, Shoredch, which closed 2016. South London is a vibrant scene of old and new, where relics meet regeneratn, wh Vxhall, Clapham, Kenngton, and Peckham amongst the most popular areas of this gaybourhood. For over 40 years, Gay’s the Word bookstore has been a treasured rource and safe space for every maniftatn of the muny of all ag and generatns.

Queer Bra mm and Queercircle art space, both openg as the UK marks 50 years of Gay Pri march, will offer ee-entry exhibns and public workshops" name="scriptn * queer spaces east london *

‘I was born and raised London, and I’ve always loved visg plac like the queer bookshop Gay’s the Word and the UK’s first Black bookshop, New Bean, ’ says Raye, one of the book lovers behd Bethnal Green Road’s new bookshop, The Common Prs. This episo of Queer Spac is a bon one-off as we are joed by wrer and mpaigner Harry Nicholas to celebrate the lnch of his unflchg and brilliant book A Trans Man Walks to a Gay Bar. One UCL study Febary this year found lbian, gay and bisexual people are signifintly more likely to report alhol and dg mise than straight people.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* QUEER SPACES EAST LONDON

Strip clubs, gay venu nearby, London landmark buildg to be turned to mosque - India Today.

TOP