LGBTQ+ book shop ‘blown away’ by support after ‘transphobic attack’
Category Is Books was vandalised earlier this month (GoFundMe)
An LGBTQIA+ bookshop in Glasgow has been left “completely blown away” by an outpouring of love and support from its community after one of the shop’s windows was smashed in what the owners have described as a “transphobic attack”.
Category Is Books in Govanhill was vandalised on 5 September, with a section of the shop window where the word “TRANS” was painted being smashed. In a 9 September GoFundMe post, the owners said the location of the damage made the attacker’s alleged transphobic intentions “clear as day”.
The incident is just the latest in a series of problems the independent bookshop says it has faced. According to the shop, it has experienced months of regular spitting and other forms of aggression, alongside becoming “increasingly aware of an escalation in violations and intimidation from fascists in our neighbourhood”.
In response, Category Is Books launched a fundraiser to install roller shutters around the shop, hoping to raise £10,000 to improve security and protect both the space and the people who use it.
The response was immediate and overwhelming.
Within just 12 hours, the fundraiser had passed its £10,000 target. It has since climbed beyond £14,000, prompting the shop to pause donations.
“We are completely blown away by the generosity and solidarity that has come our way,” the bookshop said, thanking everyone who donated, shared the fundraiser or supported the shop over the past week.
Category Is Books says that over its eight years, it has grown into something much bigger than a bookshop. The space has become a hub for queer organising, mutual aid and community. It serves as a place where LGBTQ+ people can gather, find resources, discover stories and feel at home.
The shop said the generosity has shown its owners that “this space matters to so many of you” and that they are “not alone” in wanting to protect it.
