Iconic Soho LGBTQ+ nightclub put up for sale following rape allegations at sister venue
G-A-Y bar in London. (Getty/Leon Neal)
An iconic Soho LGBTQ+ venue – G-A-Y – is up for sale, with the owner citing the changing Soho scene and financial impacts from its sister venue being closed after a bouncer was accused of rape.
G-A-Y Bar at 30 Old Compton Street has been listed online for annual rent of £410,000 per annum, with owner Jeremy Joseph – who also owns Heaven in Charring Cross – taking to social media to describe the decision as “tough.”
“This isn’t an easy decision, to me this is more than just a bar, it’s also my home, I’ve lived above it for over 15 years, but it’s now time to make some changes,” he said.
G-A-Y going up for sale follows on from legendary venue G-A-Y Late closing down in December 2023 and Heaven being shut by the Metropolitan Police on public safety grounds after a rape was reported by one of its patrons.
Bouncer Morenikeji Adewole, 47, denies carrying out the attack near the venue in the early hours of 1 November. He was remanded in custody and the trial will begin later this year.
Heaven was reopened in December following a Westminster Council licence hearing, with the nightclub subject to stricter conditions.
“I was clear to Westminster CC’s Licensing committee that if they closed Heaven for even a short time it would potentially put G-A-Y Bar at risk financially,” Joseph said in his statement, adding he was the clear about the “financial and mental damage” the “fight” to reopen the venue had on him.
“Even now after Heaven’s reopening, the damage financially & and mentally has been irreparable.”
Joseph went on to say that he believes “Soho has lost its vibrancy” and “Old Compton Street has lost its queer identity”.
“When I started G-A-Y it was always about having a venue on Old Compton Street & Canal Street, being the gayest streets in the gayest capitals. But its not like that anymore & the reason I write this is because my goal would be for G-A-Y Bar to remain an LGBT venue & will consider franchise options, but my guts is that in the current climate, and it won’t be because Old Compton Street is not the same anymore, it has a new identity & when you look down the street, you see restaurants, cafes, take aways but the street that was the LGBT capital, is no more.”
He added: “I’m sad, but also relieved because I’m making the changes I need to find peace of mind.”
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