Gay’s The Word, London

The oldest LGBT bookstore in the UK is an independent one located in central London called Gay's the Word. The store was established in 1979 by a small number of members of the homosexual socialist organization Gay Icebreakers, who were inspired by the creation and expansion of lesbian and gay bookstores in the United States. Before choosing Marchmont Street in Bloomsbury, a part of the city with a wealth of scholarly and literary connotations, they considered opening the store in Covent Garden, which was at the time being revitalized. With assistance from Ken Livingstone, then a local councillor and eventually Mayor of London, Camden Council's initial reluctance to accept a lease was overturned. It served as England's sole LGBT bookstore for a while.

The bookshop has always served as a gathering place and a source of news and information for lesbians and gay men, including details about LGBT organizations and upcoming events. The piano at the store had the Ivor Novello musical Gay's the Word on it, and it was used for musical evenings. Gay literature were seldom encountered in regular bookshops when the business opened in 1979. Homosexual News had a fantastic and innovative mail order operation, and the early newsletters identified the few radical retailers in the nation that sold gay publications. The LGBT movement was very active at this time in the United States, inspiring a vast amount of writing and leading to the establishment of several small publishing firms.

Homophobic assaults have been made against Gay's the Word on several occasions. Its windows have been smashed as a result of these. On February 9, 2020, someone broke into the store. The two robbers stole from a charity collection tin and ransacked the bookshop before being apprehended inside the establishment while sipping prosecco. The next day, Gay's the Word reopened.

Location: London, United Kingdom