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Long Live Queer Nightlife ; How the Closing of Gay Bars Sparked a Revolution
It's closing time for an alarming number of gay bars in cities around the globe—but this audiobook narrated by Amin El Gamal reveals why it's definitely not the last dance. In this exhilarating journey into underground parties, pulsating with life and limitless possibility, acclaimed author Amin Ghaziani unveils the unexpected revolution revitalizing urban nightlife. Far from the gay bar with its largely white, gay male clientele, here is a dazzling scene of secret parties—club nights—wherein culture creatives, many of whom are queer, trans, and racial minorities, reclaim the night in the name of those too long left out. Episodic, nomadic, and radically inclusive, club nights are refashioning queer nightlife in boundlessly imaginative and powerfully defiant ways. Drawing on Ghaziani's immersive encounters at underground parties in London and more than one hundred riveting interviews with everyone from bar owners to party producers, revelers to rabble-rousers, Long Live Queer Nightlife showcases a spectacular, if seldom-seen, vision of a queer world shimmering with self-empowerment, inventiveness, and joy.
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First published March 26, 2024
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October 26, 2024C'est vrai que c'est (très) répétitif, on reprend la même thèse un peu dans chaque chapitre, les mêmes critiques, les mêmes observations.
Le titre de l'ouvrage est aussi assez fallacieux, l'auteur même explique ne pas avoir observé (ou pouvoir le faire) entre la fermeture des bars gais et les événements queer en mode pop-up.
Aussi, il semble y avoir un peu d'âgisme pas vraiment examiné sur la perception des plus vieux gais ou même du drapeau arc-en-ciel, par moment, on tombe vraiment dans la généralisation et même les préjugés surtout quand on s'approche de la fin de l'essai.
C'est une bonne lecture sur la dédramatisation de la fermeture des bars gais comme la disparition des espaces LGBTQ+ de l'espace public alors que ce n'est pas (nécessairement) le cas et qu'ils prennent plutôt d'autres formes. L'aspect générationnel aurait vraiment mérité d'être plus creusé et les critiques qui sont adressées aux bars gais (racisme, manque d'inclusivité, tolérance de certains comportements oppressifs, etc.) expliquent très mal l'idée de fermeture, mais plutôt pourquoi certaines populations ne les fréquentent pas et organisent plutôt d'autres espaces: ce ne sont pas des problèmes qui sont apparus dans les dernières années, ils ont toujours été là (et il y a toujours eu des alternatives).
Après, je ne fréquente pas les bars et les soirées gaies et/ou queer, ce ne sont pas des lieux qui m'intéressent (autant pour les aspects de faire la fête, de danser, de la socialisation, de la consommation, etc. ce n'est pas dans ces pratiques que je trouve ma joie, bien au contraire). Je pense que je n'ai pas un grand attachement à la question outre son aspect sociologique plus froid que l'auteur rejette donc ce n'est probablement pas le livre pour moi.
Mise à jour 24 octobre 2024:
Je tombe littéralement 5 minutes après avoir parlé de ce livre à ma collègue aux archives sur un tabloïde gai de 1976 (Gay Montréal Vol.1 n°1 ; 27 avril 1976, p.2) où il est écrit dans les "petites nouvelles du monde gay":
"La clientèle des Gay bars de la métropole se fait vieille. De deux choses l'une: ou la relève ne se fait pas vite ou les jeunes délaissent les bars pour aller "cruiser" ailleurs..."
Comme quoi, on pensait des choses tellement similaires en 1976.
Le titre de l'ouvrage est aussi assez fallacieux, l'auteur même explique ne pas avoir observé (ou pouvoir le faire) entre la fermeture des bars gais et les événements queer en mode pop-up.
Aussi, il semble y avoir un peu d'âgisme pas vraiment examiné sur la perception des plus vieux gais ou même du drapeau arc-en-ciel, par moment, on tombe vraiment dans la généralisation et même les préjugés surtout quand on s'approche de la fin de l'essai.
C'est une bonne lecture sur la dédramatisation de la fermeture des bars gais comme la disparition des espaces LGBTQ+ de l'espace public alors que ce n'est pas (nécessairement) le cas et qu'ils prennent plutôt d'autres formes. L'aspect générationnel aurait vraiment mérité d'être plus creusé et les critiques qui sont adressées aux bars gais (racisme, manque d'inclusivité, tolérance de certains comportements oppressifs, etc.) expliquent très mal l'idée de fermeture, mais plutôt pourquoi certaines populations ne les fréquentent pas et organisent plutôt d'autres espaces: ce ne sont pas des problèmes qui sont apparus dans les dernières années, ils ont toujours été là (et il y a toujours eu des alternatives).
Après, je ne fréquente pas les bars et les soirées gaies et/ou queer, ce ne sont pas des lieux qui m'intéressent (autant pour les aspects de faire la fête, de danser, de la socialisation, de la consommation, etc. ce n'est pas dans ces pratiques que je trouve ma joie, bien au contraire). Je pense que je n'ai pas un grand attachement à la question outre son aspect sociologique plus froid que l'auteur rejette donc ce n'est probablement pas le livre pour moi.
Mise à jour 24 octobre 2024:
Je tombe littéralement 5 minutes après avoir parlé de ce livre à ma collègue aux archives sur un tabloïde gai de 1976 (Gay Montréal Vol.1 n°1 ; 27 avril 1976, p.2) où il est écrit dans les "petites nouvelles du monde gay":
"La clientèle des Gay bars de la métropole se fait vieille. De deux choses l'une: ou la relève ne se fait pas vite ou les jeunes délaissent les bars pour aller "cruiser" ailleurs..."
Comme quoi, on pensait des choses tellement similaires en 1976.
September 3, 2024
well researched but kind of left lesbians out of it
March 1, 2024
Thank you @librofm for an ALC of this powerful audiobook!
Did I open the app first thing this morning and immediately download and listen while doing my chores? Yes. Yes I did. Filled with excellent research and information, this book takes a look at queer nightlife and the power within the community. As well as the history that got us here. 💕
Did I open the app first thing this morning and immediately download and listen while doing my chores? Yes. Yes I did. Filled with excellent research and information, this book takes a look at queer nightlife and the power within the community. As well as the history that got us here. 💕
July 11, 2024
read the full review: https://writethroughthenight.com/2024...
October 8, 2024
Interesting but very repetitive.
A large chunk of this book could be related to any business with the rising costs of rent or typical nightlife business expenses.
A large chunk of this book could be related to any business with the rising costs of rent or typical nightlife business expenses.
March 10, 2024
Long Life Queer Nightlife by Amin Ghaziani
As a part of the ALC program by @librofm I have the opportunity to connect with @amin_ghaziani and learn so much about history, life, longing and achievements of the queer community. I find this book extremely useful as I was able to fully understand questions as: Where you come from?
Ghaziani’s words are accurate, heartfelt and easy to understand for all those like me, who really want to know and learn about queer community. I loved it!
💗These are my favorite quotes!💗
🥰“Amy Lamé, who identifies as a lesbian, is London’s night czar, the person responsible for protecting places like gay bars. She explains the imagery to me: “The combination of these things has created a situation in London where it’s very difficult for small, independent venues to survive and thrive.”😍
😢“Land values and redevelopment priorities are two of brightest stars in the constellation of economic factors affecting nightlife”😢
🥰“Rosie Hastings and Hannah Quinlan share these feelings in a “moving image archive of gay bars in the UK.” Entitled UK Gay Bar Directory, the project presents more than one hundred gay bars across fourteen cities. By filming the bars when they were empty, the artists draw our attention to “the rapid closures of LGBTQ venues”🥰
🥰“To think about nightlife as part of its infrastructure is an example of a cultural policy and planning strategy that London is using to protect bars and nightclubs.”🥰
😍“If not at a gay bar, then where else can we go to feel safe and seen as beautiful feminine beings? “We wanted to celebrate femininity, feminine energy, feminine power, feminine rage, feminine bodies”😍
😳When someone asks you where you’re from, and they’re like, ‘Oh, what did you say?’ We all know what that means because we’ve all experienced it.” Soof’s words in London reminded me of that moment in Chicago. “We all know how loaded something like that question can be.😳
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 @amin_ghaziani @librofm
QOTD: Did you know anything about the closing of gay bars? Is it important for you the notion that we all need a safe place to be and have fun in our own personal way?
As a part of the ALC program by @librofm I have the opportunity to connect with @amin_ghaziani and learn so much about history, life, longing and achievements of the queer community. I find this book extremely useful as I was able to fully understand questions as: Where you come from?
Ghaziani’s words are accurate, heartfelt and easy to understand for all those like me, who really want to know and learn about queer community. I loved it!
💗These are my favorite quotes!💗
🥰“Amy Lamé, who identifies as a lesbian, is London’s night czar, the person responsible for protecting places like gay bars. She explains the imagery to me: “The combination of these things has created a situation in London where it’s very difficult for small, independent venues to survive and thrive.”😍
😢“Land values and redevelopment priorities are two of brightest stars in the constellation of economic factors affecting nightlife”😢
🥰“Rosie Hastings and Hannah Quinlan share these feelings in a “moving image archive of gay bars in the UK.” Entitled UK Gay Bar Directory, the project presents more than one hundred gay bars across fourteen cities. By filming the bars when they were empty, the artists draw our attention to “the rapid closures of LGBTQ venues”🥰
🥰“To think about nightlife as part of its infrastructure is an example of a cultural policy and planning strategy that London is using to protect bars and nightclubs.”🥰
😍“If not at a gay bar, then where else can we go to feel safe and seen as beautiful feminine beings? “We wanted to celebrate femininity, feminine energy, feminine power, feminine rage, feminine bodies”😍
😳When someone asks you where you’re from, and they’re like, ‘Oh, what did you say?’ We all know what that means because we’ve all experienced it.” Soof’s words in London reminded me of that moment in Chicago. “We all know how loaded something like that question can be.😳
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 @amin_ghaziani @librofm
QOTD: Did you know anything about the closing of gay bars? Is it important for you the notion that we all need a safe place to be and have fun in our own personal way?
January 3, 2025
I reviewed this book for the Gay & Lesbian Review, Jan. 2025 (here with some minor edits):
Stories about the decline of the gay bar had led Amin Ghaziani to expect his sabbatical in London in 2018 to be a dull affair. He was surprised to discover that queer nightlife was more lively, and more nuanced, than the drastic headlines would suggest. The big city still offers plenty of options for LGBT people out looking for fun. Endowed with research grants, Ghaziani, an American sociology professor at the University of British Columbia, interviewed 112 Londoners—from city officials to party organizers to party goers—over a period of several years. The result is a beautiful book replete with attractive photographs of London’s club scene.
Ghaziani argues that LGBT nightlife has partially shifted from the “bar scene” to thematic parties, or club nights, that cater to segments hitherto underserved by established bars. The bars’ heavy fixed-cost business model has given way to initiatives that rent out spaces (and their liquor license) by the night, and get the word out through social media. Ghaziani sees this trend as subversive and anti-capitalist, though I think it could also be seen as an example of Schumpeter’s “creative destruction,” exemplifying a gig economy dynamic. The more segmented, flexible market allows a variety of spaces to flourish that focus on the many subcultures that make up the mosaic of British society and its queer community.
That said, I was struck by the extent to which Ghaziani misconstrued the specifically racial and ethnic characteristics of these LGBT events. At times in his interviews he seems to challenge some people’s claims that ethnicity was unimportant. When one man repeatedly states that “I just see myself as British,” Ghaziani seems determined to dismiss his efforts to distance himself from being categorized, commenting: “I wonder if our need to belong is so deep and so fundamental that it can motivate some who are multiracial to identify as White.” On the other hand, there is a curious deficit in this book of talk about sex, which is, after all, a lot of what “queer nightlife” is about.
Stories about the decline of the gay bar had led Amin Ghaziani to expect his sabbatical in London in 2018 to be a dull affair. He was surprised to discover that queer nightlife was more lively, and more nuanced, than the drastic headlines would suggest. The big city still offers plenty of options for LGBT people out looking for fun. Endowed with research grants, Ghaziani, an American sociology professor at the University of British Columbia, interviewed 112 Londoners—from city officials to party organizers to party goers—over a period of several years. The result is a beautiful book replete with attractive photographs of London’s club scene.
Ghaziani argues that LGBT nightlife has partially shifted from the “bar scene” to thematic parties, or club nights, that cater to segments hitherto underserved by established bars. The bars’ heavy fixed-cost business model has given way to initiatives that rent out spaces (and their liquor license) by the night, and get the word out through social media. Ghaziani sees this trend as subversive and anti-capitalist, though I think it could also be seen as an example of Schumpeter’s “creative destruction,” exemplifying a gig economy dynamic. The more segmented, flexible market allows a variety of spaces to flourish that focus on the many subcultures that make up the mosaic of British society and its queer community.
That said, I was struck by the extent to which Ghaziani misconstrued the specifically racial and ethnic characteristics of these LGBT events. At times in his interviews he seems to challenge some people’s claims that ethnicity was unimportant. When one man repeatedly states that “I just see myself as British,” Ghaziani seems determined to dismiss his efforts to distance himself from being categorized, commenting: “I wonder if our need to belong is so deep and so fundamental that it can motivate some who are multiracial to identify as White.” On the other hand, there is a curious deficit in this book of talk about sex, which is, after all, a lot of what “queer nightlife” is about.
July 24, 2024
As a queer Londoner, I found this book utterly brilliant, infuriating, and moving. The exploration of nightlife and its contrast to what gay bars represent resonated deeply. Headlines about the closure of LGBT venues struck a chord, giving me a strange nostalgia for places I never experienced since moving to London in 2017.
With more capacity to explore the queer scene now, I fully appreciate the described ecosystem. The interviews with activists, creators, promoters, and academics painted a picture that is both bleak and beautiful. This book has inspired me to cherish and support queer nightlife. A must-read for understanding the complexities of queer spaces.
With more capacity to explore the queer scene now, I fully appreciate the described ecosystem. The interviews with activists, creators, promoters, and academics painted a picture that is both bleak and beautiful. This book has inspired me to cherish and support queer nightlife. A must-read for understanding the complexities of queer spaces.
December 19, 2024
In a nutshell: bars/nightclubs catering to the LGBTQIA+ communities (“gay bars”) are closing at an alarming rate while “club nights” catering to those same communities are thriving. I’m not sure why it took the author nearly 300 pages to tell us this. From my perspective as an older white gay cis male, this change has as much, if not more, to do with generational differences regarding what constitutes having fun than anything else.
September 16, 2024
This is a great rebuttal/companion piece to Gay Bar: Why We Went Out. I listened to the audiobook of this, but I think I should get a physical copy to better take notes.
April 23, 2025
I think this would have made an excellent TED talk. I love the concept of this book and I appreciate the amount of research that went into it, but it was so repetitive that I had myself questioning whether I'd accidentally rewound the audiobook. I'm not sure if restructuring it would have helped or if it just needed to be edited down, but it just wasn't working for me.
September 14, 2024
A beautiful book celebrating the culture and tradition that has stemmed from queers partying and continues to move forward. As a queer who loves to party, I loved it.
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October 2, 2024dnf not the approach i was hopping for
October 13, 2024
This book would have made a great magazine article, but is ridiculously repetitive. You’ll find yourself thinking “Hmmm… didn’t the author just make these same points in the last chapter?
November 3, 2024
A very educational listen! I really enjoyed this.
June 2, 2025
truly remarkable how this book about a topic i care so deeply about managed to completely bore and exhaust me
May 19, 2024
Еще одна книжка про то, как закрываются гей-клубы, но с другого ракурса. Автор-социолог выстаивает теорию, что ночная квир-жизнь никуда не делась, а просто трансформировалась. Газиани пишет, что исчезновение гей-баров пусть и печально, но породило всплеск клубных вечеринок — альтернативных ad hoc танцевальных пространств, где превалируют POC и гендерно неконформные люди. В отличие от постоянно работающих гей-баров, ориентированных на белых мужчин, клубные вечеринки инклюзивны и не привязаны к локации, часто проводятся в складских помещениях на промышленных окраинах городов.
Газиани строит свой нофикшн как диалог академического исследования и репортажей с клубных вечеринок. На каких-то он присутствовал лично (например, на еврейской Buttmitzvah), о каких-то пишет со слов их завсегдатаев (как о сапфической Femmetopia). Академическая часть вышла интересней репортажной (где, бывает, он впадает в экзальтированное многословие): с выкладками и прогнозами, почему клубы закрываются. Спойлер: потому что стоимость земли растет, стоимость аренды тоже, бары не выдерживают конкуренции за площадь с сетевыми ресторанами и строителями элитного жилья. Выход Газиани видит в господдержке ночных заведений и приводит опыт Германии.
Газиани строит свой нофикшн как диалог академического исследования и репортажей с клубных вечеринок. На каких-то он присутствовал лично (например, на еврейской Buttmitzvah), о каких-то пишет со слов их завсегдатаев (как о сапфической Femmetopia). Академическая часть вышла интересней репортажной (где, бывает, он впадает в экзальтированное многословие): с выкладками и прогнозами, почему клубы закрываются. Спойлер: потому что стоимость земли растет, стоимость аренды тоже, бары не выдерживают конкуренции за площадь с сетевыми ресторанами и строителями элитного жилья. Выход Газиани видит в господдержке ночных заведений и приводит опыт Германии.
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