“The end of an era”: G-A-Y Late to close its doors in December
It’s the end of an era! The iconic LGBTQIA+ nightclub G-A-Y Late is set to close its doors. On 24 November, the owner of the Heaven, Jeremy Joseph, took to his social media accounts to reveal the heartbreaking news. “It is with great sadness that I’ve made the decision to close G-A-Y- Late on Sunday 10 December.
I know this will come as a shock to a lot of people, and many loyal customers will feel saddened by this news,” he explained. “But the last few years have been extremely difficult, and when you read this, you will hopefully understand that even profit-making venues are at risk of closure caused by external pressures.” Joseph went on to say that G-A-Y Late became his biggest challenge after the COVID-19 lockdown ended due to the construction surrounding the venue. “We always knew it would be a challenge, but with the works due to last for another year, I just found it too disheartening to continue.
It has become an impossibility to run a venue under a full restructure. Honestly, we tried, but it is a losing battle,” he continued.
In addition to the ongoing construction issues, the club owner cited a rise in attacks on employees and customers as a reason behind G-A-Y Late’s closure. “Despite so many attempts to get police to visit & support G-A-Y Late, there are no regular checks on the venue.
