343:, assuming the shop to be a porn store rather than a serious bookstore, mounted a large-scale raid and seized thousands of pounds' worth of stock. The books seized covered virtually all categories of books stocked by Gay's The Word - newspapers and magazines, history, biography, politics, health, sex and counselling guides, humour, poetry, drama, contemporary gay and lesbian fiction and erotic fiction. Some of the titles seized were Querelle by Jean Genet, Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein, Gay Sunshine Interviews Vols 1 & 2 which contained interviews with writers such as William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Christoper Isherwood and Tennessee Williams, Coming Out to Parents by Mary Borhek, Enemy by Robin Maugham, The Joy of Gay Sex by Dr Charles Silverstein, the Joy of Lesbian Sex by Dr Emily Sisley, The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren, A Thirsty Evil by Gore Vidal, Teleny attributed to Oscar Wilde and Roman Conquests by Phil Andros. Directors were eventually charged with conspiracy to import indecent books under the
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309:. Various organisations and community groups used the shop after hours for meetings, including Icebreakers, the Lesbian Discussion Group (still going after 40 years), Gay Black Group and the Gay Disabled Group. These days a number of groups meet at the bookshop including Trans London, a Black Lesbian Discussion Group, an Asexual Reading Group and an LGBT Bookgroup (now meeting online). The cafe and piano are no longer there but the noticeboard is still in use.
355:, which governs literature published in the UK, the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 does not provide for a literary or artistic defence of titles. A campaign was set in motion and the charges were vigorously defended. A defence fund was set up and raised over £55,000 from the public. Many well-known writers also gave their support and Gore Vidal donated £3,000. Newspaper articles appeared, various MPs visited the shop and questions were asked in the
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service. The gay movement at this period in the United States was particularly vibrant and stimulated an immense amount of literature with many small publishing houses being established. Gay's the Word had to import a large part of its stock from the US as not enough gay books were published in the
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have read or done signings at the bookshop. It is a popular venue for poetry readings and has attracted poets such as Andrew McMillan, Richard Scott, Kate Foley, Sophia
Blackwell, Keith Jarrett, Mary Jean Chan, Gregory Woods and John McCullough. It has also hosted talks by biographers Neil McKenna
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Gay's the Word has been subjected to a number of homophobic attacks over the years and the windows have been replaced many times. There was much relief when the last time the window was broken it was due to a burglary rather than homophobia. The store was broken into on 9 February 2020. The two
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for the Queer
Between the Covers Exhibition. They gave a talk on the 1984 customs raid and subsequently were invited to repeat the talk at the Houses of Parliament. The 40th anniversary of Gay's the Word was marked by a special event at the
577:. The shop workers were taken aback by the public response to the appeal with news on the crisis featuring in blogs from Russia to Australia, to America and Europe. Enough money was raised to pay bills and help the bookshop retrench.
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363:"I examined a parcel on 13 February 1981. I had selected it because it was addressed to the Gay's the Word bookshop which suggested a homosexual content"... Mr Riley said that he found copies of the book
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When the shop was founded in 1979, gay books were not generally available in ordinary bookstores. The early newsletters listed the few radical bookstores in the country where gay books were available and
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used to meet at the bookshop and collect money for the striking miners in 1984/85. When the meetings grew too large for the space they moved their meetings to the Fallen Angel pub. The 2014 film
255:, and the oldest LGBT bookshop in the United Kingdom. Inspired by the emergence and growth of lesbian and gay bookstores in the United States, a small group of people from Gay Icebreakers, a
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In 2007, with rising rents and the effect of
Internet book-buying, the bookshop faced possible closure. It launched a campaign to stay open which got huge press coverage in newspapers like
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burglars ransacked the bookshop, stole change from a charity collection tin and were arrested within the store when they stopped to drink a bottle of
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and forthcoming events. The shop hosted musical evenings and on the piano sat the score for the musical which inspired its name—
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Kelliher, Diarmaid (2014). "Solidarity and
Sexuality: Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners 1984–5".
955:"LGBT History Month: How One Bookshop Battled Homophobic Attacks While Supporting The Miners Strike"
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From the beginning, the bookshop was used as a community and information resource for lesbians and
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The Global
Emergence of Gay and Lesbian Politics: National Imprints of a Worldwide Movement
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aggression and vandalism. Filming actually took place in a building on
Kingsgate Road,
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The shop has hosted many readings and signings by well-known and emerging writers.
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748:"The 1980s backlash: the 25th anniversary of the raid on Gay's the Word bookshop"
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John Roper (14 September 1974). "Gay
Liberation takes over a conference".
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belonging to one of the staff. Gay's the Word re-opened the next day.
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725:"Obitury: Peter Dorey: Co-founder of Britain's first LGBT+ bookshop"
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Customs
Officer at the North London Magistrates' court, 25 June 1985
283:. For a period of time, it was the only LGBT bookshop in England.
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Permission and
Regulation: Law and Morals in Post-War Britain
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Barry D. Adam; Jan Willem
Duyvendak; André Krouwel (1999).
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In 2018, Gay's the Word loaned part of their archive to
902:"Authors campaign to save Britain's only gay bookshop"
681:. Philadelphia, Pa.: Temple University Press. p.
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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1050:Policing Desire: Pornography, AIDS and the Media
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359:. The charges were eventually dropped in 1986.
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1401:Bookstores established in the 20th century
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
1054:Continuum International Publishing Group
848:"See LGBT activist Mark Ashton's plaque"
793:"Gay address 'prompted parcel search'".
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746:Bryant, Christopher (15 August 2009).
351:c. 36). Unlike the situation with the
165:Gay's the Word bookshop, January 2018
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1406:Retail companies established in 1979
483:Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners
477:London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
47:adding citations to reliable sources
723:Williamson, Marcus (4 March 2021).
611:, former LGBT bookshop in Edinburgh
16:Lesbian and gay bookstore in London
875:Flood, Alison (15 February 2020).
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968:Hutton, Alice (31 October 2013).
953:Hartley, Eve (29 February 2016).
279:, then a local councillor, later
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319:had an excellent and pioneering
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1005:(1). Oxford Journals: 240–262.
34:needs additional citations for
1411:1979 establishments in England
1320:Dark They Were and Golden Eyed
589:, a women's bookshop in London
479:and can be viewed on YouTube.
345:Customs Consolidation Act 1876
58:"Gay's the Word" bookshop
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1396:LGBTQ organisations in London
823:"Mark Ashton memorial plaque"
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605:, LGBT bookshop in Glasgow
463:); historians Matt Cook (
295:providing information on
184:17 January 1979
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998:History Workshop Journal
609:Lavender Menace Bookshop
515:and co-founder of LGSM.
353:Obscene Publications Act
1391:LGBTQ culture in London
598:List of LGBT bookstores
199:Gay Icebreakers members
1048:Watney, Simon (1997).
593:LGBT culture in London
471:) and Matt Houlbrook (
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139:51.525361°N 0.125379°W
1325:Dillons the Bookstore
1350:Silver Moon Bookshop
1247:Treadwell's Bookshop
587:Silver Moon Bookshop
520:Senate House Library
249:independent bookshop
144:51.525361; -0.125379
43:improve this article
1381:Bookshops in London
1360:Truslove and Hanson
960:The Huffington Post
513:gay rights activist
448:The Secret Life of
411:Charlotte Mendelson
257:gay socialist group
218:Number of locations
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135: /
1282:Formerly in London
1011:10.1093/hwj/dbt012
982:on 29 October 2014
975:Camden New Journal
429:, Emily Danforth,
365:The Joy of Gay Sex
341:Customs and Excise
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1192:Atlantis Bookshop
1187:Arthur Probsthain
1063:978-0-304-33785-9
1040:978-0-415-04639-8
750:. Polari magazine
727:. The Independent
692:978-1-56639-645-5
603:Category Is Books
443:Thomas Page McBee
403:Alan Hollinghurst
349:39 & 40 Vict.
336:and Third House.
297:gay organisations
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32:This article
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1305:Better Books
1217:Heywood Hill
1211:
1182:56a Infoshop
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1019:Newburn, Tim
1002:
996:
984:. Retrieved
980:the original
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912:. Retrieved
907:The Guardian
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884:. Retrieved
881:The Guardian
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855:. Retrieved
851:
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830:. Retrieved
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769:Newburn 1992
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729:. Retrieved
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546:The Guardian
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503:. In 2017 a
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473:Queer London
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415:Patrick Gale
387:Stella Duffy
379:Edmund White
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364:
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307:Ivor Novello
300:
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204:Headquarters
120:
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1355:Sisterwrite
1330:Henderson's
1237:Skoob Books
1197:Black Books
1174:Independent
1150:Waterstones
1140:Daunt Books
1135:Blackwell's
886:14 February
827:Crowdfunder
810:Hutton 2013
781:Watney 1997
731:17 February
509:Mark Ashton
505:blue plaque
467:Gay History
450:Oscar Wilde
439:Alex Bertie
427:Jake Shears
399:Damian Barr
395:Jake Arnott
232:gaystheword
142: /
1375:Categories
1340:Murder One
1227:Judd Books
986:29 October
947:References
497:homophobic
469:of Britain
435:Jackie Kay
321:mail order
269:Bloomsbury
188:1979-01-17
127:51°31′31″N
69:newspapers
1242:Stanfords
1202:Bookmarks
1158:Hatchards
1145:The Works
1031:Routledge
935:The Times
914:7 October
857:18 August
852:Gasholder
832:18 August
796:The Times
709:The Times
662:Footnotes
563:gay press
552:The Times
539:Campaigns
431:Ali Smith
339:In 1984,
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