"'When I opened G-A-Y Bar it was to be on one of the safest and most proudly LGBT streets, a place where you could be who you are and feel safe. For me, Old Compton Street has lost that LGBT identity.'"
"'I hope my future now will be Heaven. However the last few years have been tough. G-A-Y has been my life.'"
"'But this wasn't a queue, it was a party,' Joseph said. 'All night people were singing Madonna songs, the street was alive and electric and queer. Imagine that happening today, residents would be on the phone complaining 'the gays are singing too loudly'.'"
Owner Jeremy Joseph will close Soho's G-A-Y bar this weekend, ending a decades-long presence on Old Compton Street. Joseph cited rising rent demands, a prolonged dispute with landlord ArchCo, the area's dwindling LGBT identity and NIMBY opposition as key reasons for the decision. A rent figure was finally agreed, prompting Joseph to prioritise keeping his Heaven nightclub open. Heaven faced a temporary 2024 closure after a security guard was charged and later cleared of rape. G-A-Y was put on the market earlier this year and will serve its final drinks this weekend.
Read at Time Out London
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