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:
- THE FIRST GAY PUB I DARED SET FOOT NOW HAS A RABOW PLAQUE. HERE’S WHY THAT MATTERS
- LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
- KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’
THE FIRST GAY PUB I DARED SET FOOT NOW HAS A RABOW PLAQUE. HERE’S WHY THAT MATTERS
* lost gay 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. “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.
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.
LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
Geni Pictur has optned Emmett Monterey’s memoir about growg up gay and disabled 1980s London for TV adaptatn. * lost gay london *
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.
Qulan se gay spac changg, but not everywhere. “A lot of our work looks at this shiftg moment between what I would ll ‘gay bars’ and a more queer inty. But even people who have issu wh gay-bar culture have a sentimental attachment to the spac.
KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’
”Central London’s gay clubs took on an almost mythil stat for Sahib while he was growg up Ealg.