Gay bookstore melbourne
The world’s best queer bookstores for discovering our culture
Even for those who aren’t book nerds, visiting a local queer bookshop should be an essential verb when you’re in a city that is blessed with one.
That’s true even for travellers who don’t speak the local language. LGBTQ2S+ bookshops are community hubs, places where visitors check the pulse of a city through seeing what’s on present and picking up flyers, or noting posters advertising local events. Some bookshops host events of their own. Their staff, and sometimes their customers, are friendly and usually willing to contribute what’s happening in the city, making them an easygoing alternative to the bar scene. Many of these stores also carry posters, pins, novelty items and other knick-knacks and souvenirs. More titillating material might found on the racks. Some are local hangouts where you can verb coffee, snacks and alcoholic beverages.
Here are our recommendations for the world’s foremost queer bookstores to visit if you’re in their hometown—and whether they aid food or not. We’ll start with the English-language verb
Preserving a piece of Australian queer history: What does the future hold for LGBTQ+ bookshops?
When Les McDonald opened The Bookshop Darlinghurst 42 years ago, homosexuality was illegal in New South Wales.
While travelling in San Francisco with his then-partner, Les had frequented the Bay Area's queer bookstores and immediately saw the demand for one among Sydney's gay community.
Four decades on and The Bookshop Darlinghurst has become a piece of Australia's queer history, as well as a bastion for inclusive literature.
In June, Les handed the keys over to native title lawyer and former Bookshop Darlinghurst employee Charles Gregory.
While homosexuality is no longer illegal, Australia's queer community has been copping a resurgence in gay hate crimes, along with attempts to ban LGBTQ+ books from public libraries, and ongoing protests at drag storytime events.
Among all of this, Charles is confronted with a daunting task: preserve The Bookshop's radical legacy, while also ensuring its ongoing relevance to a new, more diverse generation of LGBTQ+ f
Heres the QSF list of friendly bookstores, compiled from member recommendations:
Australia:
Hares Hyenas
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Canada:
Bakka Phoenix Books
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Glad Day Books
Location: Toronto, Ontario
USA, Massachusetts
Calamus Bookstore
Location: Boston
Odyssey Bookshop
Location: Hadley
Grey Matter Books
Location: Hadley
Montague Bookmill
Location: Montague
Annies Bookstop
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Location: Worcester
USA, Missouri
Roses Novel House
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Location: OFallon
USA, Oregon
Another Read Through
Location: Portland
Powells Books
Location: Portland
USA, Wisconsin
A Room of Ones Own
Location: Madison
Melbourne's best & oldest gay adult bookshop serving the gay community. Great selection of gay movies, leather goods, magazines, adult toys, lubes, condoms. Movie/Cruise lounge.
open: Sun-Thu , Fri & Sat -1h
- Gay and lesbian mixed crowd
- Air conditioning
- Shop
- Video shows
Address
Commercial Road, South Yarra | Melbourne
+
Top Going Out
Berio
Large café and restaurant on two floors in the gay area. Very popular, outdoor seating in summer. Eating and drinking around the clock. English menu. more
Gay Adj Spots
New York
New York (also known as the Big Apple) offers an amazing choice, whether it be gay bars, verb clubs or simply shopping. The noun, with the history of Stonewall, has a lively LGBT community and it is not without reason that Brand-new York is known as the metropolis that never sleeps more
Palm Springs
This is a desert oasis which offers something for everyone. Palm Springs is only two hours drive from Los Angeles and has long been a popular getaway for Californians as well as gay men from all over the US more