Race is on to revive much-loved London gay pub the Joiners Arms

theguardian.com:

Comedians Stephen Fry and Joe Lycett and actor Mawaan Rizwan have joined in a race to raise tens of thousands of pounds to open the UK’s first community-run queer venue.

Campaigners need to raise nearly £30,000 in the next four days to hit their £100,000 target and keep alive hopes of reviving the Joiners Arms, a famous east London gay institution.

The Friends of the Joiners Arms campaign group launched a crowdfunding initiative this summer, selling shares in a proposed new bar and community venue for as little as £25 in a “fightback” against the number of queer venues lost to property development.

The campaign has achieved more than two-thirds of its fundraising target, but the project will not go ahead if the campaigners fail to hit £100,000 by the deadline of 8pm on Tuesday 2 August.

The fundraiser was launched when a property developer stalled on its promise to fund the creation of a queer venue after it forced the closure of the Joiners Arms in Tower Hamlets in 2015. Famous regulars included the late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, and actor Sir Ian McKellen. Pop star Olly Alexander has also spoken out against the closure.

The developer, Regal London, had promised to pay £100,000 to fund a pop-up bar to give Londoners an inclusive place to meet during the demolition and redevelopment of the Joiners. However, it has failed to provide the money because work on a planned hotel at the site has been delayed by the pandemic.

London lost 58% of its queer spaces between 2006 and 2015, according to research from University College London. Eleven boroughs, including Haringey, and Kensington and Chelsea, have lost all their LGBTQ+ bars, the researchers found.

“Queer spaces are hugely important