Where has London’s lesbian scene gone?

As Candy Bar, London’s award winning Lesbian bar announces that it will be closing its doors for the last time in January, this is a question that many gay and bisexual women have been asking. Candy is the latest in a long list of lesbian bars and clubs who have lost their homes in recent years including G Spot, Glass bar and Chocolate Lounge. This leaves a significant gap in the market, as it is currently the only remaining female only space in Soho (men may enter, but not unaccompanied). This is a fact that I find shocking and saddening in such a diverse and cosmopolitan city as London. Candy’s motto is ‘Run by Girls, For Girls’, which really emphasises the importance of a space in which women can feel safe, and are protected from the negative attention which sadly follows same sex encounters in many environments. Increased costs for leasing property in London have forced the owners of many venues to sell up and instead organise events for gay and bisexual women without a fixed location. Even the most popular of these events, such as Twat Boutique, no longer have a regular visible presence in the London club scene. This prevents the formation of a community around a certain place, and makes it far more difficult to go out, as it is less possible to be spontaneous. As a gay or bisexual woman, you are in the minority, which makes it far harder to meet people (or say, to pull people) than it would be for heterosexual women, purely for ease of identification and the numbers game. This is why I think it’s so important that somewhere like Candy exists; I think that it is crucial that members of the LBGT community have access to the same opportunities as someone who is heterosexual. What is even more disappointing is that Candy was one of the few gay bars that had wheelchair access, at least on the ground floor. As a wheelchair user, I am very used to having to make enquiries as to whether or not a venue I haven’t visited before has step free access. In response to the closure of Candy, the KuBar plans to radically overhaul its premises to make the entire lower ground floor into “KuBar Girls”, which while decreasing the size of the women only space, aims to remain in keeping with the original ethos of Candy: being run by girls, for girls. The new bar will have only female bouncers, and a separate entrance to the ground level KuBar. However, the space is being created through the renovation of the existing premises, which do not currently provide wheelchair access to the lower level. I, as well as several others, have written to KuBar asking them for reassurance that they will be putting a lift in as part of the refurbishment. I have not yet received a response! If this adaption is not made, this will place severe limitations on women who wish to go to gay bars but require step free access. I am writing this article to ask others who care about LGBT rights and wheelchair users having access, to sign the petition (http://chn.ge/18srOyE), and to write to the KuBar as well. For more information, and to keep up with the campaign please join the Facebook group (Make Ku Bar Girls Wheelchair Accessible).