One of London’s biggest gay clubs faces closure
XXL, one of London’s biggest gay nightclubs has fallen prey to the developers, Native Land, responsible for a £1.3bn development of apartments, hotels and offices in central London.
Running for the last 19 years, XXL has become one of the most famous LGBT venues in the capital, with DJ Fat Tony, Elton John’s close friend, regularly performing to over 2,000 people a night.
As well as being the last LGBT venue in the borough of Southwark, XXL is believed to be the last ‘bear’ club in the capital. The closure is an act of “social cleansing” said the club’s co-runner James McNeil in an interview with The Guardian, “It is like we have been socially cleansed of LGBT venues. We are one of the few venues serving the 30-plus community. There are people who haven’t come out who will go there because it is a safe zone.”
Southwark has the highest density of gay, lesbian and bisexual people of any UK borough, yet gay clubs have been closing at an unprecedented length across the capital, a study by University College London found that only 57 LGBTQ+ venues were open in London, compared to the 125 in 2006.
Native Land’s development proposal of the railway arches above XXL and the surrounding area has been backed by investors from Malaysia and Singapore. All in all, the development will include a number of 34 storey towers containing 489 apartments, a hotel, offices and shops. DJ Fat Tony said: “I don’t see why we need more and more luxury flats along the river to lie empty.”
Real name, Tony Maranch, continued to say to the Guardian: “London can’t afford to lose another big gay venue. The gay scene has been so crippled over the last few years. We [still] need gay clubs because the world we live in is not going forwards, it is going backwards. In some areas of London people still can’t walk down the street together.”
The club has also accused the office of London mayor, Sadiq Khan, of not supporting attempts to stay open over the last two years of battling with developers. Amy Lame, “night tsar,” said she would try to save XXL as it was “a crucial part of the city’s LGBT+ nightlife”.
XXL is running a pride protest against the closure at the march on July 6 and later on in the evening hosting an event.
