Gay's the Word (bookshop)
Encyclopedia
Located at 66 Marchmont Street in the Bloomsbury district of London, Gay's The Word is the only specifically lesbian and gay
bookstore in the UK. 2011 marks the 32nd anniversary of the founding of the store, which first opened its doors on 1 January 1979. Inspired by the emergence and growth of lesbian and gay bookstores in the States, a small group of people from Gay Icebreakers, a gay socialist group
founded the store in 1979. Various locations were looked at including Covent Garden
which was then being regenerated before they decided to open the store in Marchmont Street. Initial reluctance from Camden Council to grant a lease to the bookstore was overcome with help from Ken Livingstone
, then a Camden councillor, later Mayor of London
.
. As well as a bookstore and a place to meet people, various community groups used the shop after hours for meetings. Organisations using the shop over the years include Icebreakers, the Lesbian Discussion Group (still going after 27 years) Gay Black Group and the Gay Disabled Group. It's also the venue for the very popular monthly meetings of TransLondon. The piano has long gone as has the cafe but the free noticeboard is still in constant use and hundreds of people drop by every week to pick up the free gay papers.
When the shop was founded 30 years ago, gay books weren't generally available in ordinary bookstores. The early newsletters listed the few radical bookstores in the country where gay books were available and Gay News
had an excellent and pioneering mail order
service. The gay movement at this period in the 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 in a large part of its stock from the US as not enough gay books were published in the UK. Lesbian and gay publishing houses which were later established in the UK include Gay Men's Press, Brilliance Books, Onlywomen Press and Third House.
In 1984, Customs and Excise, 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. Works by Tennessee Williams
, Gore Vidal
, Christopher Isherwood
and Jean Genet
were among the books seized. Directors were eventually charged with conspiracy to import indecent books under the Customs Consolidation Act
1876. Unlike the situation with the Obscene Publications Act
which governs literature published in the UK, the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 does not provide for a literary or artistic defence of titles that HM Customs and Excise
have seized under this Act. There is thus a discrepancy between the law which applies to books published in this country (Obscene Publications Act) and books which have been imported (Customs Consolidation Act) which makes possible the apparently contradictory situation where it would be illegal to import a book which could quite legally be published in this country. 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 £3000. Newspaper articles appeared, various MPs visited the shop and questions were asked in the House of Commons.
The shop has hosted many readings and signings by well-known and emerging writers. Allen Ginsberg
, Edmund White
, David Leavitt
, William Corlett, Armistead Maupin
, Jake Arnott
, Charlotte Mendelson, Patrick Gale
and Neil Bartlett
have all read at the shop. It has also hosted talks by biographers Neil McKenna (Secret Life of Oscar Wilde
), Sheila Rowbotham
(Edward Carpenter); historians Matt Cook (A Gay History
of Britain) and Matt Houlbrook (Queer London) and many other leading lesbian and gay academics. A documentary on the bookstore by Douglas Belford was shown in 2006 at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
and can be viewed on Youtube.
and Boyz
. 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. Its future, for the present is secure. Sarah Waters
recently said of the shop "Gay's The Word is still Britain's best outlet for lesbian, gay and trans-interest books. The stock is wonderfully wide-ranging, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the atmosphere's great. I've been shopping there for years and I'm delighted that it's still going strong". The shop is a major supplier of books to libraries and resource centres across the UK and disseminates literature that promotes equality, understanding and freedom of information
.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
bookstore in the UK. 2011 marks the 32nd anniversary of the founding of the store, which first opened its doors on 1 January 1979. Inspired by the emergence and growth of lesbian and gay bookstores in the States, a small group of people from Gay Icebreakers, a gay socialist group
Socialist Group
The Socialist Group is a primarily social-democratic political grouping in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The group comprises of 180 members from 45 states of the Council of Europe. The Group is chaired by Andreas Gross of Switzerland....
founded the store in 1979. Various locations were looked at including Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
which was then being regenerated before they decided to open the store in Marchmont Street. Initial reluctance from Camden Council to grant a lease to the bookstore was overcome with help from Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, then a Camden councillor, later Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
.
History
From the very beginning, the shop has been used as a community and information resource for lesbians and gay men. A large seating area at the back where friends could have tea or coffee or check out the free noticeboard detailing various gay organisations and forthcoming events was very popular. There was a piano that could be used for musical evenings and on the piano, sat the score for the musical which inspired their name - Gay's The Word by Ivor NovelloIvor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
. As well as a bookstore and a place to meet people, various community groups used the shop after hours for meetings. Organisations using the shop over the years include Icebreakers, the Lesbian Discussion Group (still going after 27 years) Gay Black Group and the Gay Disabled Group. It's also the venue for the very popular monthly meetings of TransLondon. The piano has long gone as has the cafe but the free noticeboard is still in constant use and hundreds of people drop by every week to pick up the free gay papers.
When the shop was founded 30 years ago, gay books weren't generally available in ordinary bookstores. The early newsletters listed the few radical bookstores in the country where gay books were available and Gay News
Gay News
Gay News was a pioneering fortnightly newspaper in the United Kingdom founded in June 1972 in a collaboration between former members of the Gay Liberation Front and members of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality...
had an excellent and pioneering mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
service. The gay movement at this period in the States was particularly vibrant and stimulated an immense amount of literature with many small publishing houses
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
being established. Gay's The Word had to import in a large part of its stock from the US as not enough gay books were published in the UK. Lesbian and gay publishing houses which were later established in the UK include Gay Men's Press, Brilliance Books, Onlywomen Press and Third House.
In 1984, Customs and Excise, 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. Works by Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, Christopher Isherwood
Christopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
and Jean Genet
Jean Genet
Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
were among the books seized. Directors were eventually charged with conspiracy to import indecent books under the Customs Consolidation Act
Consolidation Act
The Consolidation Act was an act of the parliament of Great Britain passed in 1749 to reorganize the Royal Navy....
1876. Unlike the situation with the Obscene Publications Act
Obscene Publications Act
Since 1857, a series of obscenity laws known as the Obscene Publications Acts have governed what can be published in England and Wales. The classic definition of criminal obscenity is if it "tends to deprave and corrupt," stated in 1868 by John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge.There have been...
which governs literature published in the UK, the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 does not provide for a literary or artistic defence of titles that HM Customs and Excise
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HM Customs and Excise was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government in the UK. It was responsible for the collection of Value added tax , Customs Duties, Excise Duties, and other indirect taxes such as Air Passenger Duty, Climate Change Levy, Insurance Premium Tax, Landfill Tax and...
have seized under this Act. There is thus a discrepancy between the law which applies to books published in this country (Obscene Publications Act) and books which have been imported (Customs Consolidation Act) which makes possible the apparently contradictory situation where it would be illegal to import a book which could quite legally be published in this country. 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 £3000. Newspaper articles appeared, various MPs visited the shop and questions were asked in the House of Commons.
The shop has hosted many readings and signings by well-known and emerging writers. Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, Edmund White
Edmund White
Edmund Valentine White III is an American author and literary critic. He is a member of the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing.- Life and work :...
, David Leavitt
David Leavitt
David Leavitt is an American novelist.-Biography:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Leavitt is a graduate of Yale University. and a professor at the University of Florida...
, William Corlett, Armistead Maupin
Armistead Maupin
Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer, best known for his Tales of the City series of novels, based in San Francisco.-Early life:...
, Jake Arnott
Jake Arnott
Jake Arnott is a British novelist, author of The Long Firm and other novels. Most of his works are crime novels, and include homosexual characters...
, Charlotte Mendelson, Patrick Gale
Patrick Gale
Patrick Gale is a British novelist who lives in Cornwall.His father was the prison governor of Camp Hill Prison on the Isle of Wight when Gale was born, and he was brought up in and around prisons...
and Neil Bartlett
Neil Bartlett (playwright)
Neil Vivian Bartlett, OBE, is an award-winning British director, performer, translator, and writer. He is one of the founding members of Gloria, a production company established in 1988 to produce his work along with that of Nicolas Bloomfield, Leah Hausman and Simon Mellor...
have all read at the shop. It has also hosted talks by biographers Neil McKenna (Secret Life of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
), Sheila Rowbotham
Sheila Rowbotham
Sheila Rowbotham is a British socialist feminist theorist and writer.-Early life:Rowbotham was born in Leeds, the daughter of a salesman for an engineering company and an office clerk From an early age, she was deeply interested in history...
(Edward Carpenter); historians Matt Cook (A Gay History
LGBT history
LGBT history refers to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples and cultures around the world, dating back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and sexuality of ancient civilizations. What survives of many centuries' persecution– resulting in shame, suppression,...
of Britain) and Matt Houlbrook (Queer London) and many other leading lesbian and gay academics. A documentary on the bookstore by Douglas Belford was shown in 2006 at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
The London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival takes place every spring in London, England. It began as a season of gay and lesbian films at the National Film Theatre in 1986 and 1987 under the title "Gay's Own Pictures", curated by Peter Packer of the Tyneside Cinema, and was renamed the London...
and can be viewed on Youtube.
Campaigns
In 2007 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 the Guardian, Times and Independent as well as the gay press like QXQX (British magazine)
QX Magazine also known as QX International is a free gay weekly magazine distributed at most gay bars, gay clubs and other gay venues across London and the UK. As a free magazine, it has a high proportion of advertising space for revenue...
and Boyz
Boyz (magazine)
Boyz is a free, London-based magazine, targeted at gay men and distributed mainly through gay bars, clubs and saunas in the United Kingdom. Published weekly, it tends to focus on news about the gay scene and celebrities popular with young scene-going gay men.Boyz is relatively light on "serious"...
. 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. Its future, for the present is secure. Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters is a British novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society, such as Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith.-Childhood:Sarah Waters was born in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1966....
recently said of the shop "Gay's The Word is still Britain's best outlet for lesbian, gay and trans-interest books. The stock is wonderfully wide-ranging, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable and the atmosphere's great. I've been shopping there for years and I'm delighted that it's still going strong". The shop is a major supplier of books to libraries and resource centres across the UK and disseminates literature that promotes equality, understanding and freedom of information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
.