“The older generation like myself, we’re dying out.” “A lot of the younger gay people feel like they don’t need to go to the gay bars like we used to do back in the '50s, '60s and '70s - places where would be ourselves and discover ourselves,” Sipson says. One theory is that the gay bars may not be needed today as they once were, as mainstream society becomes more accepting of homosexuality. The dispute behind the closing of The Queen’s Head might seem specific, but it comes after a year of prominent gay bars closing abruptly across London. “The gay community realized that, and so from then on it started to become a gay bar.” “We used to have the army barracks here, and soldiers used to come and frequent the bar,” Sipson says. Freddy Sipson, who has managed The Queen's Head for seven years, says it’s been known as a gay bar since about the 1920s.
The bar itself is almost two centuries old. The Old Lady of Tryon Street - officially known as The Queen's Head - confirmed the rumor on its Facebook page.
One of London’s oldest gay bars is closing next month, after the pub’s owners failed to come to an agreement with their landlord.
