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Although we have gotten slightly immune to losing queer spaces, it’s still shocking news that gay superclub in London HEAVEN may have to close.  Its owner/promotor Jeremy Joseph has announced that the Landlord  is trying to raise the club’s rent for a second time to a total annual rent of £320,000

Joseph took to Instagram on 27 February, writing: “Last September, Heaven had an automatic rent increase of £80,000 but that wasn’t enough for Arch Co who want another £240,000 on top. That’s a total increase of an extra £320,000 a year.

Heaven has played a central role and had a major influence on the development of London’s LGBT scene for over 40 years and is home to the long-running gay night G-A-Y. The club is known for Paul Oakenfold‘s acid house events in the 1980s, the underground nightclub festival Megatripolis, and for being the birthplace of ambient house

Joseph, a somewhat controversial figure, had temporarily shut down the venues in June 2022  to reconsider his place in the company.  At the time he announced   “The past two years made me wonder what I really want & a few weeks ago I closed the venues to focus & decide what I want for my future & the future of G-A-Y & Heaven.

“For a while, I felt like I had no purpose, I was going down a one-way street, in a rut, allowing social media & LGBT media to push me into depression, taking no responsibility for their own actions, thinking clicks on stories are more important than Mental Health.”

“Owning an LGBT business is more than a business. It’s part of a community, it’s a legacy for generations to come, a responsibility to make sure we don’t lose any more LGBT venues and to create longevity for safe havens.”

On Instagram, he now writes 

We have been fighting them for 5 months & they aren’t willing to back down so it’s going to go to Arbitration & has cost us already nearly £10K in legal fees 

Watching how so many venues have closed or are struggling because of rent increases, I am going public with this & letting everyone know what we are going through, its been extremely stressful & the fight has just begun as its time to put public pressure on Landlords, this isnt just about Heaven, this is about every Hospitality venue because if our rent goes up, it will increase the rent of other venues, because at arbitration, they use other comparable rents to value yours 

Please support, us because we are not the only venue that is at risk because of Landlords, It is time to fight back & protect hospitality, to many venues have closed, including G-A-Y Late

This latest news comes on the heels of the recent closing of the legendary GLORY the East End club run by Johnny Woo and John Sizzle BUT they have already re-opened at another performance mecca named  THE DIVINE and it is business as usual.  Thank God.

Sadly this loss of queer spaces is hardly new. A shocking survey found that between 2006 and 2017 62% of London’s LGBTQ venues disappeared.  With the current uncertain political climate that encourages rampant homophobia, the future doesn’t look a lot brighter right now  

The last word is from Joseph who said “Owning an LGBT business is more than a business. It’s part of a community, it’s a legacy for generations to come, a responsibility to make sure we don’t lose any more LGBT venues and to create longevity for safe havens.”

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