THEGAYUK

Tag: Amy Lame

All the latest breaking news on Amy Lame. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Amy Lame.

  • Royal Vauxhall Tavern backs G-A-Y’s legal challenge to 10 PM curfew

    Royal Vauxhall Tavern backs G-A-Y’s legal challenge to 10 PM curfew

    One of London’s longest-running LGBT+ pubs, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT) has backed G-A-Y’s Jeremy Joseph in his quest to legally challenge the controversial restrictions placed on the hospitality sector across the UK, which the government has said is a “necessary measure” to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

    In a message of solidarity, the RVT’s CEO James Lindsay echoed Jeremy Joseph’s comments that the 10 PM curfew “made no sense” adding, “not only us it another massive blow to us as a business, but it also puts our customers at more risk” as the 10 PM kick out means that hundreds of pub and restaurant-goers are forced out into the street at the same time.

    No science to back up the curfew

    four women chatting while sitting on bench
    Photo by ELEVATE on Pexels.com

    They added, “We totally support Jeremy Joseph and the action he has taken with the NTIA (Night Times Industries Association) to hold Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock account for this dangerous and shortsighted action that seems designed to blame the night time industry for increased numbers of Covid-19 cases when there is no science to back it up.”

    Adding her voice, London’s night czar Amy Lamé wrote on social media, “Another weekend of London’s struggling hospitality businesses closing early due to the Govt’s arbitrary curfew. When will @10DowningStreet realise they are part of the SOLUTION, not the problem? @SadiqKhan and I are calling for an urgent review + financial support

  • Popular gay bar in South London closing due to rent hikes

    Another of London’s iconic gay bars is to close revealing that unsustainable rent hikes are the cause.

    Popular gay bar in South London closing due to rent hikes

    Clapham in south London is to see the closure of one of its two gay bars thanks to unsustainable rent increases. Kazbar, which opened its doors in 1995, will have its last day of business on the 1st of January. The Two Brewers, which is local to the Kazbar, will remain open.

    A statement released via its Facebook page said that after 20 years the bar would be shuttered from the 1st of January after its annual New Year’s Eve party.

    The post reads,

    “After 20 years of being the iconic gay bar of South London, we regret to inform you that we will be closing down this year.

    “We will hold our last “New Year’s Eve” party until 6 am as usual. But we would love you to join us for the last goodbye drinks of the 1st January until our normal closing time.

    “Thanks for your support all these years”

     

    Amy Lamé who was appointed by Sadiq Khan as London’s “night czar” revealed that a rent increase from £86,000 per year to £150,000  was the reason behind the decision to close the bar.

    THEGAYUK.com has been following the closure of LGBT bars in London since 2000. Since the turn of the century over 105 LGBT venues have closed.

  • Khan’s “Night Tzar” under pressure after calling George Osborne a C**T

    Khan’s “Night Tzar” under pressure after calling George Osborne a C**T

    Amy Lamé is under pressure to put her political leanings to one side after a number of Tweets she sent before her appointment as London’s “Night Tzar” criticise Tory politicians.

    George Osborne
    CREDIT: HM Treasury

    Earlier this month the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan appointed Amy Lamé as a figurehead in supporting London’s 24-hour economy. However, she has come under pressure to put her politics to one side after a number of offensive Tweets to numerous Tory politicians were unearthed.

    Leaders of Conservative-run boroughs in London are calling on Amy Lamé to show bipartisanship after she described Conservative MSP Ruth Davidson as ” Tory scum” during the Stonewall Awards, and called former Chancellor, George Osbourne a “c**t”.

    Amy Lame and Ruth Davidson
    CREDIT: Twitter

    In a Tweet sent in 2015, Amy said,

    “I could say that @George_Osborne is a c***. but he has neither the warmth not the depth. #tampontax”

    In a letter to Amy, leaders of six boroughs, Westminster, Wandsworth, Bexley, Kensington & Chelsea, Hillingdon and Kingston councils, which are all Conservative-led, pointed out that the new Night Czar had made her political leanings “very clear”.

    They wrote:

    “We are therefore writing to seek reassurance that you will approach your important new role in a bipartisan way and work constructively with Conservative councils.

    “We ask that you put your political bias to one side and set out how you will work with all councils to promote and protect Greater London’s night time economy.”

    According to the Evening Standard, a City Hall spokesman said,

    “We are confident that Amy will have an excellent relationship with councillors from all political parties.”

  • Boris Johnson Backs Campaign To Save The Royal Vauxhall Tavern

    Boris Johnson has joined Sir Ian McKellen and Paul O’Grady in the campaign to secure one of London’s most iconic LGBT venues, The Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

    Speaking about the RVT Future’s campaign, which is fighting to turn the RVT building into a listed building, Boris Johnson said,

    “The Royal Vauxhall Tavern has been a lynchpin at the heart of London’s LGBT community for more than six decades. This week, New York gave the Stonewall Inn landmark status, recognising its place in that city’s history. The RVT’s unique contribution to the vibrancy of London life should also be celebrated. It is a beacon that is known around the world and must be made a listed building so it can continue to shine for years to come.”

    Amy Lamé, chair of RVT Future – a group of performers, producers and punters concerned by the RVT’s purchase by property developers last year – said:

    “We are absolutely delighted to have Boris’s support. It’s great to know he takes the LGBT community’s interests seriously and loves the Royal Vauxhall Tavern as much as we do. We hope Historic England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport give the Mayor’s view due consideration as they consider the listing application. Ultimately, we’d like the RVT to be owned by the community that cherishes it, so we hope this will be an important step on that path.”

    Yesterday, Sir Ian McKellen and Paul O’Grady – who developed his legendary character Lily Savage during a long-running residency at the RVT – gave their support to the campaign.

    O’Grady developed his legendary character Lily Savage at the RVT during a long-running residency in the 80s. “I consider the venue to be my very own school of dramatic art,”

    O’Grady writes. “The Vauxhall Tavern was our village hall” during a turbulent era marked by homophobia, police raids and the AIDS crisis.

    More than 30 performers, producers, local residents, LGBTQ charities, architects, historians and politicians have written to Historic England (formerly English Heritage) to back the listing application made by RVT Future.