Dave The Gay Handyman | SW London & Surrey

Contents:

• LONDON GAY DADS MEETUP
• DAVID SUBELONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSDAVID SUBE
• AMATRS - DAVE LONDON, OSR AT GAY0DAY TUBE. DAVE LONDON

LONDON GAY DADS MEETUP

Acrdg to the Metropolan Police, the last nvictns for nng a 'disorrly hoe were brought 1990 agast two men who ran a gay sna Streatham (they were imprisoned for three and six months rpectively) of the boys here are actors between jobs, but there are also office workers who are to the gay club scene a big way and who nnot fance this liftyle solely out of a regular wage. He do have is a very good atmosphere and I often go to 'Tra (a gay club) wh the boys after work on Saturday night.

We lnched the digal archive Black and Gay, Back the Day on Instagram at the start of LGBTQ History Month on 1 Febary. This giv our archive the feel of a fay photo album, wh imag that evoke memori, nnect old lovers and te younger Black queers about the spac that have existed the are two Black gay men: Jason is 24 and Marc is 51, so there is a generatnal age gap between . We met 1990 at Nwangi, a Black gay club night at the Market Tavern pub Vxhall south London, which has sce been molished to make way for the new US embassy buildg.

I love this picture as ’s a rare image of Black gay love and timacy – ’s radil simply bee puts Black gay love ont and and Caz, late 1980s. Photograph: Col GrantCol and Caz, late 1980sMarc: This photograph is of siblgs Col and Caz at the Lbian and Gay Centre on Cowcross Street, London, the late 80s. It also acts as a remr of a very important place LGBTQ history, and emphasis the need for spac that are separate om the mercial gay scene.

DAVID SUBELONDONMENUHOTELS · LUXURYHOTELS · MID-RANGEHOTELS · BUDGETGUTHO & B&BSHOSTELSON TODAYBARSDANCE CLUBSLBIAN BARSCISE CLUBSSNASGAY SOHOMASSAGETHEATRECABARETSSHOPSGYMSCAF & RTRANTSSERVICATTRACTNSCY GUITOURSGAY MAPUK EVENTSGAY WEDDGSDAVID SUBE

The Lbian and Gay Centre opened 1986 and prid self on meetg the diverse needs of the muny, creatg specific spac for women and Black and Wston Brixton, 1992. Photograph: Calv DawksDJ Biggy C wh the hoe mic vol tr Jomanda at the Vox, 1993Marc: For many years, Black LGBTQ clubs were predomantly n by whe gay men. On Friday nights, tered to the diverse tast of Black gay people.

From club kids to dancehall queens or homothugs, all were wele.

No night was plete whout an appearance by the Glamour Crew – a tight-kn group of fabuloly drsed young Black gay men who drew fluenc om the Harlem ballroom scene.

AMATRS - DAVE LONDON, OSR AT GAY0DAY TUBE. DAVE LONDON

He would have been his early 20s this photograph, around the age that I am now, and shows his early reer as a journalist for gay media. We have had lots of discsns about beg London-based Black gay journalists at different tim, and the kd of ternal battl he has won to secure verage of certa stori ensure that gay media is clive and tackl employment discrimatn.

There aren’t many Black gay journalists even now – although my iends Otamere Guobadia, Josh Lee and Ben Hunte are great exampl – so ’s spirg to see him on the ontle all those years McAlmont before Pri, 1992. Soho has now bee synonymo wh the “whewashed” ontier of gay nightlife and is often mistakenly perceived as a playground for a predomantly whe LGBTQ crowd, so ’s wonrful to know that there was a Black queer women’s night held at the heart of . I have heard warm stori about Patrick Liverpool, who died 2001: about his grand outfs and his nt parti, his home Brixton beg full of Black gay men om all rners of London.

But what has stuck wh me is his duty of re towards the Black gay men he met – often strangers whom he took to provi shelter, food and safety. I fd how he fashned himself as an isolated Black gay man a small northern town spirg bee, his words, he beme the very image that he need to see.

It’s a punk athetic that I thk also provis some diversy to the archive terms of the youth subcultur Black gay men have belonged to. When Heaven opened s doors to the dis-hungry gay hedonists of London 40 years ago this month, was clared the hippt place Europe.

“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, ” he not born 1979 may know the club’s fabled history as the early home of hoe mic and have seen featured vios and documentari. But back then, for members of London’s burgeong gay scene, the arrival of Heaven was the moment when a rich hidn culture beme part of mastream nightlife.

” Ellitt adds that, to mark the big birthday, the club has won permissn to operate as a marriage venue, wh the first ceremony to take place on 15 December, almost exactly 40 years after the openg Heaven’s arrival had an impact, drew on strands of alternative dis culture already threadg through the cy the 12 years sce homosexualy had been crimalised. Ctomers at tablished gay dancefloors and discreet venu, such as Bang, Napoleons, Sndals and Catabs, had ially moved on to a club on Old Bond Street lled the Embassy, opened 1978 by Jeremy Norman.

“Prr to that, gay clubs were only found unrground pub cellars, ” rells Ellitt. Until then, would have been difficult for people to tell people you had been to a gay club.

“When started was still difficult for gay people to be accepted.