G-A-Y Late Closing its Doors Permanently

This year has not been kind to iconic gay bars. This year, in Colorado, the Triangle has closed, and now, in London, G-A-Y Late is closing for good on December 10, 2023. Once again, the reason for this G-A-Y Late’s closing is due to safety concerns. There have been several attacks against both the staff and customers. When asking for police help, the police deemed that the gander was not consistent enough for any change to be made, and therefore, G-A-Y Late is closing for good.

Statement from G-A-Y:

I’m sad to announce G-A-Y Late will be closing Reasons are in the attached statement While losing an LGBT Venue, we have worked really hard to compensate by increasing @HeavenLGBTClub capacity & after 44 years, is soon to become Wheel Chair assessable pic.twitter.com/xWRveI6JMY — Jeremy Joseph G-A-Y (@JeremyJoseph) November 24, 2023

Jeremy Joseph, owner of G-A-Y Late, released an explanation post on X in which he reminisces and explains further reasons. The area around G-A-Y Late has become far busier than it was in previous years, leading to parking inaccessibility and several other safety hazards, such as the fire exit being blocked. However, he does offer hope for the future of London’s LGBTQ+ hotspots. In the statement, he says, “It’s not all negative, though; G-A-Y Late is not going to be forgotten. Firstly, no staff will be affected by the closure, and they will all be deployed to G-A-Y Bar & Heaven, so all jobs are safe. For those who loved G-A-Y Late, My goal is to re-create an updated version of G-A-Y Late in Heaven’s DP & Stage Bar & to have more nights at Heaven, starting with a new LGBT RnB night on Wednesdays.” Although the police were not enough to keep G-A-Y Late open amidst attacks, the transition to Heaven being an alternative venue may be for the best. We look forward to seeing more additions to London’s LGBTQ+ venues. Photo courtesy of @gaytimes on X