Category Is Books
{{Short description|LGBT bookshop in Glasgow}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Category Is Books
| image = Category Is Books (Queer Bookshop), Glasgow, Scotland 08.jpg
| image_caption = Category Is Books, December 2018
| website = https://www.categoryisbooks.com/
}}
Category Is Books is an independent bookshop in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of only two LGBT+ bookshop in Scotland and one of only eight in the United Kingdom. It was established by Bug and Fionn Duffy-Scott in September 2018.{{Cite web|title=Southside LGBT+ bookshop celebrates "incredible" first year|url=https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/17979942.southside-lgbt-bookshop-celebrates-incredible-first-year/|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Glasgow Times|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2019-02-27|title=In conversation with Glasgow's first LGBTQ+ bookshop ‹ Glasgow Guardian|url=https://glasgowguardian.co.uk/2019/02/27/in-conversation-with-glasgows-first-lgbtq-bookshop/|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Glasgow Guardian|language=en-GB}}
Every book stocked at the store is either written by someone from the LGBT+ community, contains at least one LGBT+ character or has an LGBT+ narrative.{{Cite news|date=2018-12-28|title=LGBT book shop a 'wonderful success'|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-46693996|access-date=2020-06-13}}
History
Category Is Books was launched with help from Gay's The Word, the first and only remaining LGBT+ bookshop in London.
The shop hosted many queer community events and a non-drinking space for the LGBT+ community. They host events such as yoga, queer tarot readings, and a transgender-friendly pop-up barbershop.{{Cite web|last=Goh|first=Katie|date=2019-01-31|title=Inside Scotland's New and Only LGBTQ+ Bookshop|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/inside-scotlands-new-and-only-lgbtq-bookshop/|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Vice|language=en}}
Community is an integral part of how the bookshop runs, with co-owner Duffy-Scott saying, "Community is important here and it’s a specifically queer space so a lot of the events have nothing to do with books."{{Cite web |title=Good books help bad days: Celebrating Independent Bookshop Week |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/20220332.independent-bookshop-week-celebrating-not-just-reading/ |access-date=2022-07-01 |website=The National |language=en}}
The bookshop was visited by Nicola Sturgeon in November 2018.{{Cite web|last=Johnson|first=Mark|date=2018-12-28|title=Glasgow LGBTI bookstore proves a sellout success after just three months|url=https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/glasgow-lgbti-bookstore-proves-a-sellout-success-after-just-three-months/|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Gay Star News|language=en-GB|archive-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613154855/https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/glasgow-lgbti-bookstore-proves-a-sellout-success-after-just-three-months/|url-status=dead}}
The shop closed due to COVID-19 but offered deliveries by skateboard and bike.{{Cite news|last=Flood|first=Alison|date=2020-03-16|title=Delivery by skateboard? Coronavirus sees indie booksellers get inventive.Hi|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/16/coronavirus-indie-booksellers-inventive-sales|access-date=2020-07-01|issn=0261-3077}}
Category Is Books has reopened following the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020–2021.