Safety from Attackers Cited as Factor in Closing of London Club G-A-Y Late

A major part of the London gay scene is about to disappear with the shuttering of longtime favorite club G-A-Y Late – and violence targeting patrons and staff is part of the reason for the closure according to a social media announcement from owner Jeremy Joseph, newspaper The Standard reports.

"Joseph said he made the decision with 'great sadness'," the Standard relayed, "acknowledging the news will come as a 'shock' to many."

The club is located in London's Soho District, which is located in the borough of Westminster. "The venue, which has been going under its current name since the early Nineties, is one of the relatively few in London to hold a license until 4am.," the Standard noted.

Those hours, together with the site's relative isolation and rising rates of anti-LGBTQ+ crime, meant that the safety of employees and club goers alike could not be guaranteed. Joseph, who also owns venues G-A-Y Bar and Heaven, noted at Instagram that violence directed at the LGBTQ+ community was one of several main factors contributing to his decision to close the club.

"As a result of sometimes being the only venue open late at night int he surrounding area, it has led to customers & staff being attacked on their way to and from the venue," Joseph wrote.

"Crime continues to be one of the biggest issues for LGBT venues but even harder when you are a venue with no other venues around you."

With city police short-staffed, Joseph added, there was little hope for more protection from law enforcement.

Other factors included new construction around and above the venue, as well as additional safety concerns presented by parking woes, with the venue's fire exit, as well as its entrance, frequently being blocked by cars.

"It has become an impossibility to run a venue under a full restructure, honestly we tried but it's a losing battle."

Joseph went on to add: "I have done everything I can to try to fight on and keep G-A-Y going, at a great cost to my own mental health, but it is simply not possible to run G-A-Y Late in its current location, and it's starting to take too much of a toll on me personally."

"But there is light at the end of the dazzling, disco-ball filled tunnel," London magazine Time Out noted. "Thankfully, no staff from G-A-Y Late have lost their jobs, as all will be able to continue working either at G-A-Y Bar or Heaven. And excitingly, G-A-Y Bar will now stay open later, until 1am, and Heaven will have increased capacity and wheelchair access."

The woes affecting London's nightlife are not limited to the gay scene. Time Out pointed to "a recent study [that] showed 35 independent nightlife venues are lost each week.

"And sadly, it's not just clubs that are suffering – by the end of the first half of 2024, 750 British pubs might have closed," the magazine noted.