Paris’s cultural scene looks set to suffer a big blow with the news that its most famous LGBTQ bookshop is facing closure.
Les Mots à la Bouche, which was established almost 40 years ago and has stood in the Parisian gay district of Marais since 1983, looks set to become the latest victim of gentrification in the French capital, The Guardian reports.
The shop, which stocks an estimated 16,000 titles, has been given a deadline of March to find a new premises after the landlord decided to up the rent last year.
The manager of Les Mots à La Bouche, Sébastien Grisez, accused local government officials of cashing in on the Paris’s historic LGBTQ while failing to protect it from gentrification.
He told The Guardian: “Paris city hall promotes the gay history of the Marais and it has painted the crossroads here in rainbow colours, but no longer having our bookshop here seems absurd.”
Mr Grisez continued: “Ten years ago, there were far more gay bars here, now only a few are left.
“It’s true that gay sociology is changing – people are more spread out, there is perhaps less need to meet in bars when you can meet on apps. But even so, people regret that this neighbourhood meeting point is disappearing.”
In a post on Instagram (translated fro French), Les Mots à la Bouche insisted it was “determined” to find a new home and avoid closure.
“Finding a local area and visibility equivalent to the one we have to leave is complex”, the post read.
“However, we do not despair and are determined to move and above all, above all, not to close!”
The news comes just days after London’s own famed LGBTQ bookshop, Gay’s the Word, celebrated its 41st birthday. Click here to read more about the shop’s inspiring history.
