Gay’s The Word: the story behd England’s only LGBTQ bookshop | Huck

Contents:

•  GAY'S THE WORD 
• GAY'S THE WORD BOOKSHOP SOLD ‘OBSCENE MATERIAL’ – ARCHIVE, 1985
• GAY’S THE WORD: SI ENGLAND’S ONLY LGBTQ BOOKSHOP
• GAY'S THE WORD: LONDON'S LGBTQ+ BOOKSHOP THAT'S 'LIKE FAY'
• GAY'S THE WORD: TRIBUT PAID TO PETER DOREY WHO OPENED FIRST LGBTQ+ BOOKSHOP
• GAY'S THE WORD (BOOKSHOP)
• MY FAVOURE PENNT BOOKSHOP: GAY'S THE WORD, LONDON

 GAY'S THE WORD 

Fictn, Nonfictn, Young Adult Fictn, Classics, Poetry, Plays, Rare Books, Comg Out, pl Gay's The Word and LGSM merchandise. Gay's The WordWant an alternative to Amazon? RadPeter Dorey, Co-Founr of Gay's The Word Bookshop, Di Aged 73'It is clear that generatns of LGBT+ people owe Peter Dorey a bt of thanks' reports Will Strou for Attu Magaze, 16 Febary 2021.

Bigoted Brish tiger that b off more than uld chewGraham McKerrow wr for talkg humani about Operatn Tiger, the Brish state’s attempt the 1980s to prohib the importatn of all queer books, newspapers and magaz, cludg a raid on Gay's The Word 1984.

'The importance of Gay's The Word...

GAY'S THE WORD BOOKSHOP SOLD ‘OBSCENE MATERIAL’ – ARCHIVE, 1985

Jonathan Cutbill Leav 'Phenomenal Collectn' of LGBTQ LeratureJonathan Cutbill, one of the founrs of Gay's The Word who passed away 2019, leav his LGBTQ Lerature llectn to Universy of London, wr Steve Brown for Attu Magaze, 24 January Bt LGBTQIA+ LeratureBrish Vogue asks 'ins of the LGBTQIA+ muny' to share what we queer wrg we should be readg, cludg Ernt Hole, founr of Gay's The Word bookshop, wrten by Liam Freeman, 21 June 's The Word Wants You To Notice ItThe Londonist profil the bookshop, askg about visibily and pri, wrten by Harry Rosehill, 11 June 2019.

GAY’S THE WORD: SI ENGLAND’S ONLY LGBTQ BOOKSHOP

Celebratg 40 years of Gay's The Word, London's glor LGBTQ bookshopDazed Digal profil the bookshop for s 40th anniversary, wrten by Louis Stapl, 27 Febary England's [First] LGBT Bookshopi-D Magaze terviews Gay's The Word's  light of s 40th anniversary, wrten by Jake Hall, 18 January 2019. ]Gay's The Word turns 40'How a small LGBT bookshop beme an unlikely battleground the fight for gay acceptance', wr Thomas Stichbury for Attu Magaze, 17 January 2019. Bookshop of the Month - Damian Barr's Lerary SalonGay's The Word is profiled for Damian Barr's Lerary Salon November 2018 wh a Q&A wh Uli Birth of Gay's The WordErnt Hole wr the history of the bookshop for the first time Polari Magaze, 17 January.

A ctoms officer taed a book om the Uned Stat about the Aids epimic and novels by Tennsee Williams, Gore Vidal and Christopher Isherwood a raid on Gay’s the Word bookshop April 1984, a urt heard officer, Mr David Odd, was givg evince on the fourth day of mtal proceedgs which eight directors and one staff member of Gay’s the Word bookshop Bloomsbury, London, are charged wh dulently nspirg to eva the prohibns on the import of cent or obscene material. He thought that he might have taed the book, which is referred to the charg, ‘bee had the name of a homosexual thor on the ver’ agreed that he had no guil as to what uld be nsired cent or proceedgs to ci whether the se should be sent to Crown Court are expected to end charg agast the bookshop were eventually dropped 1986. Four s on — This week marks the 40th anniversary of Gay’s The Word, a UK stutn that fought police raids, prejudice and censorship to bee a hub of social activism.

GAY'S THE WORD: LONDON'S LGBTQ+ BOOKSHOP THAT'S 'LIKE FAY'

Thursday 17 January, 2019Text by Patrick O’ConnellPhotography by Patrick O’Connell / Gay’s The WordUnassumgly sandwiched between a phone repair shop and a fé, Gay’s The Word has stood steadfastly on Bloomsbury’s Marchmont Street for 40 UK’s first LGBTQ bookshop has managed to outlive all s fellows – cludg Edburgh’s Wt and Wil, Brighton’s Out, and Charg Cross Road’s Silver Moon – which have all fallen victim to the enomic prsur pennt bs so often face. As a rult, Gay’s The Word is one of only two extant queer bookshops the untry. The uncil were reluctant to let the space to a gay tablishment – part due to an assumptn was a prank, given Ernt’s surname.

GAY'S THE WORD: TRIBUT PAID TO PETER DOREY WHO OPENED FIRST LGBTQ+ BOOKSHOP

“They said would be a porn bookshop bee that’s what gay bookshops were those days, ” says manager Jim MacSweeney, who has worked there sce 1989. “Our very first ads said: ‘London’s ser gay book shop is now open.

’”Over the years, Gay’s The Word has bee a val muny rource.

“It threw up lots of notns around inty, of what meant to be gay, ” remembers MacSweeney. Early Pri mte were anised om s fé, while gay socialist group Icebreakers and the Gay Black Group – the first of s kd the UK – were formed after meetg the shop.

GAY'S THE WORD (BOOKSHOP)

) In 1984, Gay’s The Word also beme home to Lbians and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM), a socialist fundraisg group assistg the mers’ strike efforts. In 1984, HM Ctoms and Excise raid Gay’s The Word, seizg s imported stock unr the pretext that obscene works were beg sold, and brgg crimal charg agast the staff and directors. But unlike obsceny laws, which grant publishers fence exceptns for artistic mer, ctoms seizur were an arbrary and unpredictable t-and-moe game entrenched homophobia.

”Books seized clud works by Christopher Isherwood and Gore Vidal, who donated to the fence fund, as well as The Joy of Gay Sex and The Joy of Lbian Sex – their heterosexual equivalent remaed eely available the UK.

MY FAVOURE PENNT BOOKSHOP: GAY'S THE WORD, LONDON

What uld have been a landmark tt se cmbled before ever ma to the Old Bailey: and after two years, charg agast Gay’s The Word were dropped.

This story is largely unknown to a new generatn of fans, who may be aware of Gay’s The Word through s starrg role Pri. ”Four s the makg, Gay’s The Word has bee a cherished stutn. Gay's The Word bookshop opened January 1979 and has been an important part of London's LGBTQ+ culture ever pri events were anised om there and many gay and lbian groups met year marks 40 years sce the shop opened and spe polil, social and technologil change, is still gog strong and attractg a new generatn of LGBTQ+ Londoners.