Lavender Menace: Queer Bookselling in Edinburgh

This talk explores the history of queer bookselling in Edinburgh

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Event details

2pm - 3pm
19th July 2025
City Art Centre 2 Market Street Edinburgh EH1 1DE
Free, but pre-booking is essential
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Scotland’s first lesbian and gay bookshop grew out of several years of LGBT+ bookselling in the city which started with Open Gaze bookstall in 1976 as part of Edinburgh’s Gay Information Centre. This talk explores the history of queer bookselling in Edinburgh, from the early bookstalls to the opening of Lavender Menace and West & Wilde to the resurgence of independent bookshops. 

Speaker

Lavender Menace Queer Books

Lavender Menace Queer Books work with a wonderful team of volunteers to create and maintain a free and welcoming community archive space for research and socialising. We have a mission to:

  • Bring together the queer community in Edinburgh and beyond;
  • Celebrate LGBT+ authors and their works;
  • Collect and preserve LGBT+ books published between 1970 and 2000
City Art Centre
A young man and two young women standing against a lavender wall, each reading a book with a colourful but blank cover
Organiser

Museums and Galleries Edinburgh, The City of Edinburgh Council

Museums & Galleries Edinburgh is a collection of 13 venues and over 200 monuments across Edinburgh. Our vision is to inspire, enthuse and provoke through a shared passion for Edinburgh, Art and History.

We welcome visitors to our nine major visitor attractions: the City Art Centre; Lauriston Castle; Museum of Childhood; Museum of Edinburgh; Nelson Monument; People’s Story; Queensferry Museum; Scott Monument and Writers’ Museum.

We house rich and varied collections relating to the historical and cultural life of Scotland’s Capital. Our venues also boast an exciting and vibrant programme of events and exhibitions, offering something for everyone to enjoy.

See more events Museums and Galleries Edinburgh

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