2022, the year Gay Spar officially came out

This year’s Pride will go down in the Dublin history books.

Gay Spar’s coming out story is one as old as time. All its friends have known for years – even random passersby and visitors could tell. But still, no one rushed it. We all knew Gay Spar had to officially come out on its own terms, in its own time.

https://twitter.com/Oppenhiney/status/1540689631276138496?s=20&t=a9dqtKgC0PlqrJ5rlfjyvQ

Some would say the 2016 Marriage Equality Referendum could have been a good time for Gay Spar to boldly exclaim, “I am who I am”. Others would wonder why, year after year when June rolled around, the George’s Street haunt continued to hold back. For years, Gay Spar has been a place of inclusivity, a safe space (apart from the odd invasion of a brave pigeon eyeing up the baked goods every now and then) and most importantly, a place to get a breakfast roll at 3am, if that’s what your heart desires.

This year, we’re delighted to report Gay Spar has joined the rest of the city in acknowledging its true identity. It has, as this tweet so aptly puts it, “become sentient”.

gay spar… has become sentient pic.twitter.com/nr6XKyU7K5

— dm (@daithidaithi_) June 24, 2022

Will anything change, now that one of Dublin’s favourite convenience stores has finally acknowledged who it is? Honestly, we doubt it. Gay Spar will remain a welcoming sanctuary for sitting with your box of wedges, watching the world go by, for bonding with strangers post-night out over your snacks of choice, all lovingly adorned with PAID stickers, and of course, for attempting to find the last can of Whiteclaw in Dublin during Pride weekend. All we need, when we need it, under the tree at Gay Spar.

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