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

Contents:

• GAY BARS AND CLUBS SOHO
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

GAY BARS AND CLUBS SOHO

Freedom is a stylish and sophistited gay Bar and Club, loted on Wardour Street, the heart of London’s Soho. London’s thrivg gay scene is world famo, om plh cktail bars, to rambunct drag bnch and everythg between. The Two Brewers is a long-standg gay bar Clapham, and although might not look like much om the outsi, is home to legendary club nights, drag shows and quizz.

Regularly toppg the charts as London’s favoure gay bar and club, Ku Bar is suated Cha Town.

Freedom the heart of Soho is a sophistited gay bar and club wh luxur r, cludg plh booths and stylish chanliers.

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

The Glory pris self beg one of east London’s bt gay bars, drag hotho, LGBTQ+ performance venu, nightclubs, and curators of London shows, ftivals, ntts and battl.

Comptons of Soho Photo:, Shutterstock Comprisg of two bars and a quieter lounge area, Soho’s Comptons pub has been a staple the cy’s gay scene sce 1986. Halfway To Heaven, Trafalgar Square Loted between Charg Cross Statn and Trafalgar Square, Halfway To Heaven is a tradnal gay pub and baret show bar wh a laid-back ground floor and club-like basement area. Kgs Arms, Soho Loted on Soho’s Poland Street and open sce the 1700’s, the iendly Kgs Arms was one of the first spots Soho to serve the gay muny, billg self as a ‘gentlemen’s bar’ the 1970’s.

Officially a gay bar sce 1981, ’s now a firm favoure wh the LGBTQ+ muny – ‘bears’ particular – om London and around the world.

From tablished legends of the gay scene to on that play baret and everythg between, there’s somethg for everyone here. Freedom is a stylish and sophistited gay Bar and Club, loted on Wardour Street, the heart of London’s of spac2 event spacFood & BeverageIn-hoe tergIn-hoe beverage serviceSpacAboutSoho's most famo and bt loved Cocktail Bar and Show Venue, popular wh Wt End performers.

Gay/Lbian. As the UK’s most famed sprawlg metropolis, London’s queer scene has long been characterized by the LGBTIQ+ clubs and bars that le Soho’s streets and Vxhall’s historic prence as a gay haven. Bt gay bars, clubs & parti.

The book sectn is curated by top queer bookshop, Gay’s The Word, wh all profs funneled back to the mm and adjog chary. If you’d prefer to see a wir array of queer lerature, pop over to the Gay’s The Word bookshop ntled between Kg’s Cross and Rsell Square. It’s a sprgtime Saturday night Vxhall, a London “gaybourhood” that’s lost many LGBT spac the last few years: Bar, Paris Gym, Area, and The Hoist.

Meanwhile, the area’s skyle has transformed almost beyond regnn, wh tower upon tower of luxury newbuild this Saturday Vxhall is a time for celebratn: ’s the openg of Bloc South, the first gay club this part of town to open for years. Down the road is a packed out Royal Vxhall Tavern, where the group Lbians and Gays Support the Migrants giv a stirrg speech.

It feels like the good old days when Vxhall wore London’s gay crown.

Acrdg to one LGBT webse, 151 gay bars and clubs London shut between 2000 and 2016, and Attu magaze edor Cliff Joannou told the Guardian he believ that a third of the pal’s LBGT venu have closed sce the clus key venu such as Madame Jojo’s, the Black Cap, The Joer’s Arms, Bar Soho, Kazbar, the Queen’s Head, Candy Bar, the Oak Bar and Green Carnatn – many sufferg the impact of rent hik and rampant month, much-loved Soho venue Molly Moggs closed whout warng – and the reasons are still unclear. “Jojo’s brought together gay culture and burlque culture wh mastream mic and club nights, ” he said. This, along wh many other events around the untry this year, marks the 50th anniversary of the partial crimalisatn of homosexualy through the 1967 Sexual Offenc nightlife spac are by no means alone facg the mountg prsure of London’s speculative property velopment.

It was the first such listg of an LGBT venue the to grassroots movement RVT Future, and a gay-iendly Lambeth uncil, thgs are lookg up for one of Vxhall’s olst and most-loved venu. It’s viewed as a 21st-century muny hub that aims to be thoroughly clive and supportive, a safe space for performers and patrons on every pot of the LGBTQI+ venu and nights like the are still outnumbered by spac where gay men are the majory, wh the UCL report notg that “gay men have the monopoly on [LGBT] venu”. While some strs the importance of men-only gay clubs – to serve as a safe space that has been val gay culture – others feel venu should be more clive.

“I’ve been to gay clubs the past where I’ve been told to stop kissg my girliend by both staff and fellow clubbers, ” explas bisexual activist Lewis Oakley. A lot of gay men have a problem wh lbians and transgenr women.

Photograph: The Natnal ArchivWe may be losg exclively gay spac, but the queerg of tradnally straight venu is on the rise. The need to go to a specific venue to meet someone has bee ls important – which has led to plats that the muny self is to blame for of the RVT Future mpaign Rob Holley disagre wh this ia, tellg Pk News that ctom is still thrivg: “The vast majory of London pubs (gay and straight) which close are mercially succsful, but London’s crazy property market means nvertg the buildg to flats mak a bigger, quicker buck for their owners. However, the cisn to build the mosque has also sparked a bate, wh crics qutng s lotn, also known for s bars, nightclubs, gay venu and strip jots.

The area is also known for s ncentratn of bars, nightclubs, gay venu and strip jots – all of which are nsired sful Islam.