Wele to Sailors Gay Sna, which is East London's bt kept secret

Contents:

• INSI CHARTS, LONDON'S BIGGT GAY SNA
• HISTORIC GAY SNA CHARTS SPA ANNOUNC PERMANENT CLOSURE PROMPTG OUTPOURG OF STICKY MEMORI
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• WISNS MIDDLE SCHOOL FEATUR 'THIS BOOK IS GAY' LIBRARY, STIRRG ONLE OUTRAGE
• GAY SNAS LONDON
• KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’
• THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS

INSI CHARTS, LONDON'S BIGGT GAY SNA

Charts is a gay sna that’s somehow stood firm and risted the velopers for nearly 20 years. Amidst a vastatg year for gay venu London, alarm bells were set off June when was reported that the se might make way for a luxury hotel, but thankfully for s patrons, there’s been very ltle follow-up.

HISTORIC GAY SNA CHARTS SPA ANNOUNC PERMANENT CLOSURE PROMPTG OUTPOURG OF STICKY MEMORI

‘It was found 1997, ’ says staff member Lewis, ‘when fdg a fy, welg place to be openly gay or explore your sexualy was perhaps tougher than is now.

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

For the uniated, a gay sna is, as our listg onle stat: ‘like a leisure centre, but wh sex’ – a place where men cise and hook up. ‘That always ma me giggle – the last thg a gay du to a sna for is a mouthful of fish. ‘Some misnceptns are fuelled by homophobia’.

Speakg of hair, you might image that wh that zty, naturel activy gog on, a gay sna would be ked lube and all manner of curly follicl. There are still a lot of gay or bisexual guys who aren’t out. Sadly, I fear some misnceptns are fuelled by homophobia.

If was a straight swgers’ club, might be seen as cheeky, racy, darg, but bee ’s a gay spot, ’s more likely to be nsired sleazy and gross. The legendary gay sna Charts Spa has gone to liquidatn, after sufferg fancially durg the ronavis panmic.

WISNS MIDDLE SCHOOL FEATUR 'THIS BOOK IS GAY' LIBRARY, STIRRG ONLE OUTRAGE

Charts Health Clubs opened s first gay sna Shoredch, London, 1996. Until now, the Vxhall branch of Charts Spa was the only survivg lotn, and brand self as Europe’s largt gay sna.

“I would like to take this opportuny to say thank you to all our ctomers and to the gay muny as a whole for supportg and makg the pany a succs for many years. As some of you know, and mostly bee my endls postg about jobs, one of the most inic Gay Snas London I had the pleasure of workg wh sce September 2019 has unfortunately had to liquidate due to fance issu.

GAY SNAS LONDON

— Stt (@GayNightStand) January 25, 2021. One former Charts Spa staff member wrote on Twter: “One of the most inic gay snas London I had the pleasure of workg wh sce September 2019 has unfortunately had to liquidate due to fance issu.

“Snas such as Charts had provid a safe space for gay men pre-COVID for untls years. “As today’s report mak clear, that perd many endured the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic bullyg and harassment, all while bravely servg this untry, ” Sunak told MP.

KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

Promisg the ernment would implement the “vast majory” of Etherton’s remendatns, Wallace said he would fully update the Commons a formal bate about the issue after the about pensatn, Wallace said he hoped to fd “an elegant solutn that match the need and the requirements of those dividuals”, promisg to set this out after Kelly Holm, who served the army and me out as gay last year, was among mpaigners who weled the apology.

Starmer said one of his nstuents, Ken Wright, a former RAF service member who was “forced to leave the job he loved simply bee he was gay”, was the public gallery to hear the apology. The area is also known for s ncentratn of bars, nightclubs, gay venu and strip jots – all of which are nsired sful Islam. Geni Pictur (“Mrs Lowry & Son, ” “Good Luck To You, Leo Gran”) has optned Emmett Monterey’s acclaimed memoir “Go the Way Your Blood Beats” – about growg up gay and disabled 1980s London – for TV adaptatn.

At his mastream school, teachers refe to schle his class on the ground floor, and at his llege for disabled stunts, he’s told he will be expelled if the mors are te, if he’s gay.

THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS

Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love.

There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia. 'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.

Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife. The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage". Fabulo gay sna London wh lots of actn suated next to Waterloo statn;) Remember to play safe!!!

After 5am too many LGBT bs aimed at Gay men. Kev Spacey has addrsed his ntroversial 2017 statement which he me out as gay rponse to Anthony Rapp’s accatn of sexual misnduct.

He said some members of his team disagreed wh the urse of actn but they took a vote and ultimately released a statement which Spacey revealed he was gay. “The gay muny had been prsurg me for a very long time about g out, ” he said.

Before ronavis h, Charts Vxhall claimed to be ​“Europe’s largt gay sna” for men wantg steam, queer mararie and a potential subterranean hook-up.

Charts Vxhall was the last survivg outpost of a gay sna cha which at s 2005 peak had six branch dotted across London. Losg Charts is a major blow for London’s queer male muny, but gay snas across the UK have weathered an credibly ttg 12 months.

“Gay snas n of the possibily of sex, but whether people actually have sex when they get here is a pletely different thg, ” says Stephen Gunn of Mantire Spa Plymouth. In 2021, gay snas are faced wh the same toxic cktail of threats as any other LGBTQ venue.

But when we talk about savg our val queer spac, gay snas tend to be exclud om the nversatn. Nick Batt, owner of Pk Broadway Southampton, says a lol rad statn was terted hearg about his stggle to survive the panmic as a small bs owner until he said he ran a gay sna.

Even wh the LGBTQ muny, gay snas have a lgerg image problem.