He sees it as a worrying development because bars and clubs aren’t just places to party but crucial sites of community and belonging. “There does seem to be a closure epidemic at the moment,” says Tony Butchart-Kelly of the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity that works with at-risk LGBT youth. The future of four or five more hangs in the balance, and outside London, cities such as Brighton and Manchester are also suffering. In the capital alone, more than a dozen spaces have closed, from Vauxhall superclub Area in south London, to local pubs north of the river Thames, to lesbian institution Candy Bar in Soho and Madame Jojo’s, home to many queer nights. But the past couple of years have been notably hard for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) venues in the UK. Pubs, bars and clubs spring up in one area, thrive for a while and then fade away, only to pop up somewhere else.
H istorically, the gay scene has been a moveable feast.
