Wele to Sailors Gay Sna, which is East London's bt kept secret

Contents:

• THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS
• HISTORIC GAY SNA CHARTS SPA ANNOUNC PERMANENT CLOSURE PROMPTG OUTPOURG OF STICKY MEMORI
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• WISNS MIDDLE SCHOOL FEATUR 'THIS BOOK IS GAY' LIBRARY, STIRRG ONLE OUTRAGE
• GAY SNAS LONDON
• KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’
• GAY SNA ETIQUETTE
• LONDON GAY MAP

THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS

Before ronavis h, Charts Vxhall claimed to be ​“Europe’s largt gay sna” for men wantg steam, queer mararie and a potential subterranean hook-up. Charts Vxhall was the last survivg outpost of a gay sna cha which at s 2005 peak had six branch dotted across London.

Losg Charts is a major blow for London’s queer male muny, but gay snas across the UK have weathered an credibly ttg 12 months. “Gay snas n of the possibily of sex, but whether people actually have sex when they get here is a pletely different thg, ” says Stephen Gunn of Mantire Spa Plymouth. In 2021, gay snas are faced wh the same toxic cktail of threats as any other LGBTQ venue.

HISTORIC GAY SNA CHARTS SPA ANNOUNC PERMANENT CLOSURE PROMPTG OUTPOURG OF STICKY MEMORI

But when we talk about savg our val queer spac, gay snas tend to be exclud om the nversatn.

Nick Batt, owner of Pk Broadway Southampton, says a lol rad statn was terted hearg about his stggle to survive the panmic as a small bs owner until he said he ran a gay sna.

Even wh the LGBTQ muny, gay snas have a lgerg image problem. In 2016, gay magaze Attu published an op-ed tled: ​“Perhaps the time has e for gay snas to close – and that’s fe.

LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

Pl Town, manager of The Locker Room South London, says is rctive to pigeonhole all gay snas as ​“expensive knockg shops”. Clearly, gay snas exist so that men have n sex wh men a space that isn’t their home, a hotel or a cisg spot. Sce I started visg gay snas a ago, I’ve seen steam room i, group jack-off ssns the showers and men wag expectantly large leather slgs.

In my experience, gay snas are sexy, sex-posive spac where not everyone ends up havg sex.

WISNS MIDDLE SCHOOL FEATUR 'THIS BOOK IS GAY' LIBRARY, STIRRG ONLE OUTRAGE

“Nobody ever talks about the lonely olr gay man, ” says Pk Broadway’s Nick Batt. ​“Maybe their partner’s passed away and they want some pany, but they don’t feel like they belong the [gay] bars bee you’re visible those plac if you’re over 40. ” Batt also says his sna provis a safe space for gay and bi men who aren’t out.

GAY SNAS LONDON

​“I’d say up to 70 per cent of our ctomers don’t live what you’d ll a ​‘gay liftyle’, ” he says.

KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

​“I’ve had ctomers e up to me and say: ​‘My mum died yterday and she never knew I was gay. Gay snas like London’s Pleasuredrome, which pre-Covid opened 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, n also bee a refuge for vulnerable and homels young men.

Dean, a 25-year-old queer man om London, says he ma his first viss to gay snas around seven years ago ​“out of sheer necsy”. Dean adms that gay snas were ​“ no way an idyllic sanctuary” and says he sometim felt sred sleepg such a sexualised environment. Other young gay and bi men vis snas bee they offer relatively hassle-ee hook-ups.

Tom, a 23-year-old gay man om Edburgh, says that pre-Covid he popped to gay snas once every uple of months bee felt ​“slightly kky and different and excg”. Whereas the mastream LGBTQ scene ​“favours cis, whe, affluent gay guys, you see a different si to the muny at snas – people you wouldn’t see bars”.

GAY SNA ETIQUETTE

Jack, a 25-year-old gay man om Plymouth, says he would normally vis his lol sna once a week simply to ​“chill out and have fun” while ​“meetg new and different people”.

LONDON GAY MAP

The legendary gay sna Charts Spa has gone to liquidatn, after sufferg fancially durg the ronavis panmic. Charts Health Clubs opened s first gay sna Shoredch, London, 1996.

Until now, the Vxhall branch of Charts Spa was the only survivg lotn, and brand self as Europe’s largt gay sna. “I would like to take this opportuny to say thank you to all our ctomers and to the gay muny as a whole for supportg and makg the pany a succs for many years. As some of you know, and mostly bee my endls postg about jobs, one of the most inic Gay Snas London I had the pleasure of workg wh sce September 2019 has unfortunately had to liquidate due to fance issu.

— Stt (@GayNightStand) January 25, 2021.

One former Charts Spa staff member wrote on Twter: “One of the most inic gay snas London I had the pleasure of workg wh sce September 2019 has unfortunately had to liquidate due to fance issu. “Snas such as Charts had provid a safe space for gay men pre-COVID for untls years. The area is also known for s ncentratn of bars, nightclubs, gay venu and strip jots – all of which are nsired sful Islam.

“As today’s report mak clear, that perd many endured the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic bullyg and harassment, all while bravely servg this untry, ” Sunak told MP. Promisg the ernment would implement the “vast majory” of Etherton’s remendatns, Wallace said he would fully update the Commons a formal bate about the issue after the about pensatn, Wallace said he hoped to fd “an elegant solutn that match the need and the requirements of those dividuals”, promisg to set this out after Kelly Holm, who served the army and me out as gay last year, was among mpaigners who weled the apology. Starmer said one of his nstuents, Ken Wright, a former RAF service member who was “forced to leave the job he loved simply bee he was gay”, was the public gallery to hear the apology.

Fabulo gay sna London wh lots of actn suated next to Waterloo statn;) Remember to play safe!!! After 5am too many LGBT bs aimed at Gay men.

Kev Spacey has addrsed his ntroversial 2017 statement which he me out as gay rponse to Anthony Rapp’s accatn of sexual misnduct.

He said some members of his team disagreed wh the urse of actn but they took a vote and ultimately released a statement which Spacey revealed he was gay.