Queer Premises: LGBTQ+ Venues in London Since the 1980s

Queer premises provide vital social and cultural infrastructure, connecting different generations and locations, facilitating the movement of resources, and embedding themselves into urban spaces. This book explores how bars, cafes, nightclubs, pubs, community centers have been imagined, created, and sustained, and the challenges they face.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 29 June 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Queer premises play a crucial role in providing essential social and cultural infrastructure, known as queer infrastructure, which connects diverse generations and locations within a city. This infrastructure facilitates the movement of resources, both within and beyond urban boundaries. Queer Premises offers valuable insights into how London's diverse LGBTQ+ populations have integrated themselves into urban spaces, systems, and resources. It aims to understand the imaginative, creative, and sustained processes through which bars, cafés, nightclubs, pubs, community centers, and other queer venues have been conceptualized, established, and maintained.

Drawing from a range of sources, including interviews, archival research, and participant observation, the book explores the historical development of these venues from the 1980s to the present. It examines how, where, and why these spaces have been established, how they operate, and the purposes they serve. The author also delves into the challenges these venues face and the reasons behind their closures.

Queer Premises sheds light on the complex interplay between social, cultural, economic, and political factors that shape the existence and evolution of queer spaces. It highlights the importance of these venues in fostering community, promoting diversity, and challenging heteronormative norms. The book contributes to our understanding of urban spaces, culture, and society more broadly, offering valuable insights into the ways in which LGBTQ+ individuals and communities have negotiated and contested the city's landscape.

In conclusion, Queer Premises is a groundbreaking work that provides a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of the role of queer premises in shaping urban spaces and communities. It offers valuable insights into the historical development, operations, and challenges of these venues, and contributes to our understanding of the complex dynamics of urban life. By exploring the ways in which LGBTQ+ populations have embedded themselves into urban spaces, systems, and resources, the book offers a rich and empathetic perspective on the city's diverse and vibrant LGBTQ+ communities.

Weight: 638g
Dimension: 240 x 163 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350324862