Our Community

Over its history, Gay's The Word's bookshop floor has been a space for meetings and events. We currently have six groups associated with the bookshop. The longest running group is the Lesbian Discussion Group who have been meeting for over 40 years on a weekly basis to discuss current affairs, sexuality, politics, lifestyle, and lesbian-specific topics. Inspired in equal parts by the Lesbian Discussion Group and UK Black Pride, the Black Lesbian Discussion Group exists to provide a safe space for all Black Lesbians to converse on various topics and socialise in a non-party atmosphere. TransLondon were meeting monthly as a free discussion and support group for all members of the trans community, but now plan on meeting less regularly. Since March 2020, the London LGBT Book Group now meets online and is organised via Facebook. Plus, there are two new book groups: The London Ace Book Club and the Trans Masc Reading Group. See details for each of these groups below.

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The bookshop has also often been a place to find out about resources and information. That's why we've included a list of resources on this page with links to information about coming out, medical and legal advice advice, and a range of LGBT-specific organisations. If you're not sure where to begin, the Switchboard: LGBT+ helpline is a great place to start.

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Gay's The Word is often used by teachers, librarians, and academics to source LGBT+ books for their research or borrowing collections, using our staff's comprehensive knowledge to find the best books for the purpose. To this end, we often send out boxes of books to schools and libraries. Since 2018, we also partner with Queer Book Box, a monthly book subscription service that ships worldwide, as their book supplier. 

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To enquire about use of the bookshop for a community group or book-related event, 

check our FAQs and use the contact form to get in touch.