This vital queer archive could be forced to close its doors; this is how you can help…
BY ELENA FRITZSCH, IMAGE BY THOMAS ANDERSON-THATCHER
A flask of tea, lesbians, and a lot of books. These are the things that come to mind when I think of Lavender Menace. The queer books archive based in Edinburgh, which first existed as a gay and lesbian bookshop in the 1980s, is now appealing for £45,000 to keep its doors open.
Lavender Menace Bookshop was co-founded by Sigrid Nielsen and Bob Orr in 1982. Forty years later, they resurged as an archive to collect and preserve queer books, many of which were out of print and increasingly rare. Today, Lavender Menace is run by a small group of staff and a large group of volunteers. It has regular open hours for visitors, hosts regular reading groups, free author events and exhibitions on queer Scottish history, all while preserving queer cultural heritage.
In a small room in the back of St Margaret’s House, Lavender Menace is one of the few third spaces in the city. As a bookshop originally established by a lesbian and a gay man, Lavender Menace is particularly unique in how it represents an increasingly diverse queer community. Trans inclusion remains a key part of who we are and who we will continue to be. It is a space where queer women and non-binary people are at the forefront of cataloguing, curating and exhibition installation.
The archive covers many purposes as a physical and digital space for community engagement and connection. For some, it is a space to research histories that have been neglected. For others, it is a space to meet new people in a new city. For me, it was the first time I met older queer women and saw the possibility of what that future could be.
An essential resource in preserving queer literary history, Lavender Menace is much more than just an archive. It is a dedication to documenting our past, present and, hopefully, our future. In the face of increasing political and media hostility, the recent axing of the BBC’s first queer dating show, I Kissed A Girl, offers one of many examples of how institutions fail to represent us. This is why we can’t let another space disappear. Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive was built for the queer community, by the community, and we need your help to stay open.
You can donate to the Save Lavender Menace fundraiser at: crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-lavender-menace. To support in other ways, you can follow on socials: @lavender_menace_returns
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