The Dorey and Gay s The Word families
February 18, 2021
Peter Dorey (left) with Ernest Hole. (Gay s the Word)
Peter Dorey, who co-founded London’s beloved LGBT+ bookshop Gay’s the Word, has died aged 73 at his home in Brighton, England. Here, his family and Gay’s the Word remember him.
In 1979, Peter was one of a small group of LGBT+ activists, including Ernest Hole and Jonathan Cutbill, who established a small, specialist bookshop on Marchmont Street, Bloomsbury.
Gay’s the Word was one of Britain’s first queer bookshops, opening when LGBT+ titles were generally not available in ordinary bookstores. Peter provided the very necessary funding for it.
BBC News
Published
image copyrightGay s the Word/ Instagarm
image captionGay s the Word co-founders Peter Dorey (left) and Ernest Hole outside the store in London the day it opened in 1979
A pioneering shop owner who opened the UK s first gay book store has died at the age of 73.
Peter Dorey, who was among a small group of gay activists, opened Gay s The Word in Bloomsbury in central London in 1979.
The shop acted as a safe place for LGBTQ+ communities during a period of oppression and discrimination.
Mr Dorey, who was raised in Harrow, died on Friday following years of poor health, his family confirmed.