G a y gay

After another one of his venues, G-A-Y Late, closed in 2023, he said he had planned to apply for a late licence for his remaining venue under that brand.

He later decided against this as he felt it would face too many objections from the council, police and residents.

"It's a constant uphill battle and another fight in the cost of living crisis which has negatively impacted all of the hospitality sector," he said.

"It doesn't feel like anyone with power cares about hospitality and it definitely doesn't feel like they care about LGBT venues."

Mr Joseph also cited what he said was a wider decline in Soho as an "LGBT capital".

He said when he had opened the venue on Old Compton Street, it was the "gayest street in the gayest capital".

"But it's not like that anymore," he added.

The nightclub owner said he wanted the G-A-Y Bar to remain an LGBT venue and he was also considering a franchising option to achieve that, but he believed it would not happen "in the current climate".

The term "gay" may be confusing and even foreign to some, forcing people to ask, "What is gay?" or "Am I Gay?" And while some might think the definition of "gay" is simple, to many, it actually isn't. The term "homosexuality"¹ was first used by Victorian scientists who considered same-sex sexual attraction and behavior a "moral deficiency."²

Homosexuality is still the correct term clinically, but even though homosexuality is no longer considered immoral, some people feel there are still negative overtones to the word given its origin.

According to Avert.org, an international charity, these things are:

• Sexual attraction
• Sexual behavior
• Sexual identity

For example, a person may feel same-sex sexual attraction but not identify as "gay" whereas another person who behaves sexually towards men and women may identify as "gay." Moreover, it is not uncommon for people to identify as "gay" at some times in their lives, while straight (not gay) at other times.

In other words, correctly identifying someone as "gay" is as often a personal choice as much as it is a textbook definition.

The term "gay" was initially a slang term developed to overcome some of these negative associations. While "gay" can be thought of as a synonym to "homosexual," there is more to the meaning of gay than that.

Definition of Gay

Homosexuality is considered to be same-sex sexual attraction and behavior and "gay" is a synonym of homosexuality.

It may have come from a nineteenth century French slang word, "gaie."

What is Gay?

Gay is a term that is not gender specific so men or women can be termed "gay." When identifying people as gay though, it's important to consider three things.