Katy Perry reacts to closure of G-A-Y bar: 'They can't shut down the gays'

"In a video taken from her show at the O2 Arena, in London, on Monday night, she asked: "Did they say that G-A-Y was shutting down? That G-A-Y shut down? The club? Here?" When it was confirmed, she said: "They shut down the gays, how dare [they]?" which brought a loud cheer from the audience. "We'll just bring the gays here," she added. "They can't shut us up, we'll just get louder and more homosexual.""

"Earlier this month, Joseph explained that the closure came about partly as a result of a rent review for Heaven. While it had gone in his favour, it was still a big enough increase to mean having to shut G-A-Y. In a lengthy post, he also lamented that Old Compton Street had "lost that LGBT identity." He put G-A-Y up for sale in January."

London’s G-A-Y bar in Soho has closed, with owner Jeremy Joseph handing over the keys to focus business on G-A-Y at Heaven. The closure followed a rent review for Heaven that, despite ruling in Joseph’s favour, produced a rent increase large enough to force G-A-Y’s shutdown. The decision prompted sadness among LGBTQ+ patrons, drag performers, and public figures who recalled early nights at the venue. Katy Perry reacted during her O2 Arena show, saying “They shut down the gays...” and promising to “bring the gays here” and get “louder and more homosexual.” The closure follows other venue losses including G-A-Y Late and The Glory.

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