by Rex Wockner
The United Kingdom's last gay bookshop may close because of London's very high rents and loss of sales to the Internet.
Gay's The Word is hoping to ward off disaster by raising $40,000 before May 1 to pay bills and set up an online sales site itself.
Among other steps, it has launched a "Sponsor a shelf" scheme.
"It costs #100 [$196] and you can either send us a cheque (payable to GTW), e-mail your card details or give us a bell (0207 278 7654)," says the store's Web site. "Your name/organisation will be listed in-store as an official Friend of Gay's The Word and sponsor."
Novelist Ali Smith told The Guardian, "It'd be a political, cultural, communal and human loss if it went [out of business]."
Author Edmund White said: "It's a shop that keeps gay titles on the shelves for years in a way no regular bookshop, even one with a gay section, would ever do. The staff know the books and can give advice. It would be very sad to see it go."
Author Sarah Waters commented: "For me it's more than a bookshop. It was one of those places you went to when you first arrived in London. … It felt very empowering that it was here and it is still important that there is a visible place for people to go."
Assistant manager Uli Lenart told The Guardian that teenagers arrive at the store "on the verge of tears. This is a place where you can feel less alone."
– by Rex Wockner
