Gay villages in the United Kingdom explained

The United Kingdom has a number of gay villages. Bigger cities and metropolitan areas are most popular as they are deemed to be more tolerant and tend to have "a history of progressive local government policy towards supporting and financing LGBTQ-friendly initiatives."[1] There is also a noted circular pattern of migration, whereby once areas have established a reputation as somewhere LGBT people live, more LGBT people are drawn there.[1] [2] LGBT-inclusive areas of UK towns and cities tend to be defined by "a distinct geographic focal point, a unique culture, a cluster of commercial spaces" and sometimes a concentration of residences.[2] It is thought that LGBT-inclusive areas help towns and cities in the UK to prosper economically,[3] but some believe the building of such areas creates an isolating effect on some LGBT people who want to blend in.[4]

Birmingham

See main article: Birmingham Gay Village. Birmingham is home to 60,000 gay people.[5] The Birmingham Gay Village, which became prominent in the 1990s,[6] is located around Hurst Street in Southside and features clubs, bars and shops.

Birmingham Pride is celebrated each year around the late May bank holiday weekend; its entertainment and festivities are centred around the Gay Village.[7] Organisers estimated that Pride brings around £15 million to the city's economy.[8] In 2014, it attracted over 50,000 people.[9]

The city also has its own LGBT centre, opened in 2013, for support with health and well-being.[10] Midlands Zone, the LGBT magazine for the region, was published every month (1997-2020.)

Brighton

See also: LGBT community of Brighton and Hove. Brighton has a significant LGBT population,[4] [11] [12] [13] and records LGBT history in the city since the 19th century.[14] Brighton Pride is the largest Pride event in the UK, celebrated at the start of August and attracting around 160,000 people every year.[15] [16] Many LGBT pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, cafés and shops are located around Brighton and in particular around St James's Street in Kemptown.[17] [18]

In a 2014 estimate, 11–15% of the city's population aged 16 or over is thought to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.[19] The city also had the highest percentage of same-sex households in the UK in 2004[20] and the largest number of civil partnership registrations outside of London in 2013.[21]

Bristol

Old Market is the main gay village in Bristol, with its scene centred on West Street.[22] Across the city centre, Frogmore Street in the Old City is a gay area. Queenshilling first opened here in 1992,[23] although the first post-1967 gay club to open in Bristol was the Moulin Rouge on Worrall Road, Clifton, in 1970.[24]

The city's first Pride took place in 1977 as a fundraiser.[25] Some unofficial celebrations took place in the 2000s until Bristol Pride was re-established in 2010.

Cardiff

See also: LGBT culture in Cardiff. Cardiff has been ranked as the 8th most accepting city in the world for the LGBT community[26] and is home to many popular gay venues such as the Golden Cross.[27] The first Pride to be held in Cardiff took place in 1985.[28]

Edinburgh

Portobello, voted as one of the best neighbourhoods to live in the UK by The Times, is a vibrant gay community, with an annual Porty Pride event by the beach and a range of locally owned LGBTQ+ restaurants, cafes and local shops.

The New Town end of Leith Walk from Picardy Place to Broughton Street is known locally as the 'Pink Triangle' and is home to a number of LGBTQ+ venues.[29]

The West End has also historically held LGBTQ connections, and has a number of LGBTQ+ friendly hotels.[30] [31]

Hebden Bridge

Since the 1990s the Yorkshire market town of Hebden Bridge has been branded "the lesbian capital of the UK",[32] [1] and is reported to have the highest number of lesbians per capita anywhere in the UK.[33]

Leeds

See also: LGBT culture in Leeds. Leeds's large gay district is centred around Leeds Bridge and Lower Briggate in The Calls.[34] Leeds Pride is the most popular Pride event in Yorkshire, bringing approximately 25,000 people to the city each year.[34]

Leicester, Nottingham

Nottingham has a big LGBT community[13] and hosts Nottingham Pride.

Leicester has a big LGBT community[35] and hosts Leicester Pride.[36]

Liverpool

See also: LGBT culture in Liverpool. Liverpool is home to a significant LGBT population, with an estimated 94,000 LGBT people living in the city, equivalent to the LGBT population of San Francisco.[37] Liverpool is also the first and only British city to officially recognise its gay quarter Stanley Street Quarter, installing street signs bearing the rainbow-coloured Pride flag to identify it in 2011 on Stanley Street, Cumberland Street, Temple Lane, Eberle Street and Temple Street.[38] [39]

Liverpool Pride was established in 2010[40] and draws tens of thousands each year.[41] The city's annual Homotopia festival is run by the only lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer combined arts organisation in northern England.[42] [43]

London

See also: LGBT culture in London. London's LGBT community has historically been centred around Soho since the 18th century, and Old Compton Street in particular, where bars, clubs, restaurants, cafés, shops and theatres now line the streets.[44] Vauxhall, known colloquially as Voho, is also popular, with bars, nightclubs and a sauna as well as the historic Royal Vauxhall Tavern and Above The Stag Theatre, the UK's only LGBT theatre.[45] Recently, venues in Dalston, Shoreditch and Bethnal Green have become popular with the LGBT community.[45] The Gay Liberation Front in the UK started in London in the 1970s, which spawned the first official UK Gay Pride Rally in the city in 1972.[46]

London's Pride festival is now celebrated across the centre of city at the end of June, with particular focus on the main stage at Trafalgar Square and venues in Soho and Vauxhall. Pride is an annual event that closes London's Oxford Street and draws the largest numbers of spectators in the country each year.[47] In 2014, more than 750,000 people attended London Pride.[48] This number reportedly grew to an estimated 1.5 million in 2019, making it the biggest Pride yet.[49] London is also home to UK Black Pride.

In an Office for National Statistics survey in 2010, London was found to be home to the highest percentage of British people who identify as either gay, lesbian or bisexual than anywhere else in the UK at 2.5%.[50]

Manchester

Canal Street has been the centre of Manchester's Gay Village since the 1960s.[51] Manchester Pride, held every year in the village at the end of August, started from humble beginnings in the 1980s to achieving tens of thousands of spectators in the ensuing years.[52] Manchester's Gay Village has been named one of the "most successful gay villages in Europe"[53] and the "gay capital of the north,"[4] a reputation enhanced by LGBT TV shows Bob & Rose and Queer as Folk, both written by Russell T Davies, which were set there.[54] Cucumber/Banana, also by Davies, was also set there.

The city of Manchester is estimated to be home to between 24,950 and 34,930 lesbian, gay and bisexual people.[55]

Sheffield

Sheffield is reportedly home to between 27,635 and 38,689 lesbian, gay and bisexual people and 3,300 trans people.[56]

In the 1990s, Sheffield's gay scene was concentrated in Attercliffe. By the 2010s, it had moved to the city centre.[57] In 2018, Sheffield had its first "gay quarter" established. Located on the corner of The Moor and Hereford Street in the city centre, it takes in the long-established Dempsey's bar and club and the newly opened Queer Junction. The 2018 LGBTQ+ Pride was its 10th anniversary.

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Why is Hebden Bridge the lesbian capital?. Sophie. Robehmed. BBC News. 9 February 2012. 14 February 2018. 19 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180119205443/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16962898. live.
  2. Web site: The Future of Our Gay Neighbourhoods. 17 September 2014. 14 February 2018. 4 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160604033610/http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/the-future-of-the-gay-neighborhood-438. live.
  3. Web site: British cities 'need hip and gay areas to prosper'. 25 May 2003. 14 February 2018. www.telegraph.co.uk. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215083755/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4187504/British-cities-need-hip-and-gay-areas-to-prosper.html. live.
  4. Web site: Julie Bindel: Location, location, orientation. Julie. Bindel. 27 March 2004. The Guardian. 14 February 2018. 21 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180621170909/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/27/gayrights.weekend7. live.
  5. Web site: Gay Birmingham Remembered - The Gay Birmingham History Project. gaybirminghamremembered.co.uk. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143520/http://gaybirminghamremembered.co.uk/topics/Birmingham+localities+and+the+gay+population. live.
  6. Web site: Can you see yourself in our pictures? Did you go to the gay prides of the past?. David. Bentley. 21 May 2015. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215204146/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/birmingham-gay-pride-photos-1997-9255604. live.
  7. Web site: Herald . Tamworth . Thousands set to flock to Birmingham Gay Pride 2015 . tamworthherald.co.uk . https://web.archive.org/web/20150525224127/http://www.tamworthherald.co.uk/Thousands-set-flock-Birmingham-Gay-Pride/story-26554149-detail/story.html . 2015-05-25.
  8. News: Thousands join in Pride parade. BBC News. 25 May 2013. 14 February 2018. 13 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181013215530/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22666063. live.
  9. Web site: Birmingham Pride 2015 announces record-breaking advance ticket sales. David. Bentley. 20 May 2015. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215204158/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/birmingham-pride-2015-announces-record-breaking-9298126. live.
  10. News: New centre for gay health opens. BBC News. 14 February 2018. 14 February 2018. 7 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181007053735/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-21242840. live.
  11. Web site: Brighton is 'gay capital'. 13 April 2012. 14 February 2018. 21 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180621172312/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/brighton-is-gay-capital-7298902.html. live.
  12. Web site: Sorry Bristol, Brighton is probably the best city in the UK. 25 March 2014. 14 February 2018. 28 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150728061513/http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/25/sorry-bristol-brighton-is-probably-the-best-city-in-the-uk-4677619/. live.
  13. Web site: Nottingham: Seventh most gay place in England and Wales. www.bbc.co.uk. 14 February 2018. 3 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171203203403/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/features/2004/04/gay_city_census_statistics.shtml. live.
  14. Web site: Brighton Ourstory :: Brighton's history. Simon Chilton -. www.sitebysimon.co.uk. www.brightonourstory.co.uk. 14 February 2018. 3 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181003085617/http://www.brightonourstory.co.uk/brighton-s-history. dead.
  15. Web site: Brighton Pride safe 'until 2020' under new license. 14 November 2014. 14 February 2018. 12 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712153604/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/14/brighton-pride-safe-until-2020-under-new-license/. live.
  16. Web site: Brighton Pride a "great success" despite arrests. 14 February 2018. 2015-07-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712173459/http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/story/2014-08-03/brighton-pride-a-great-success-despite-arrests/. live.
  17. Web site: Calls for Brighton's St James's Street to be pedestrianised or it will 'wither and die'. The Argus. 14 February 2018. 9 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215629/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11096502.Calls_for_Brighton_s_St_James_s_Street_to_be_pedestrianised_or_it_will__wither_and_die_/. live.
  18. Web site: Calls for Brighton and Hove "gay village". The Argus. 14 February 2018. 9 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215906/http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9374498.Calls_for_Brighton_and_Hove__gay_village_/. live.
  19. Web site: Brighton & Hove City Snapshot: Report of Statistics 2014 . bhconnected.org.uk . 2018-08-09 . 2016-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215608/http://www.bhconnected.org.uk/sites/bhconnected/files/City%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20Statistics%202014%202.pdf . live .
  20. News: Brighton 'has most gay couples'. 3 February 2004. 14 February 2018. news.bbc.co.uk. 11 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170911100035/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3456635.stm. live.
  21. Web site: Statistical Bulletin: Civil Partnerships in the UK, 2013 . February 11, 2015 . Office for National Statistics . April 24, 2021 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924130241/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob2/civil-partnership-statistics--united-kingdom/2013/stb-civil-partnerships-2013.html?format=print . September 24, 2015.
  22. Web site: Bristol Gay Scene . pridewest . 2011-03-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110424072341/http://www.pridewest.co.uk/events/scene/bristol.php . 24 April 2011 . dead .
  23. Web site: LGBTQ+ Nightlife. Visit Bristol. 21 July 2021.
  24. Web site: Pubs & Clubs. Out Stories Bristol. 18 September 2011. 21 July 2021.
  25. Web site: OutStories - First Pride in Bristol . 28 September 2011 . 11 July 2016.
  26. Web site: Most LGBTQ+ accepting cities money.co.uk . 2023-07-12 . www.money.co.uk . en.
  27. Web site: Guide to some of the best LGBT+ places in Cardiff . 2023-07-12 . VisitWales . en.
  28. News: 2020-06-20 . Pride Cymru: 35 years since 'huge step' in Cardiff . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-07-12.
  29. https://edinburgh.org/inspire/edinburgh-city-guides/lgbtq/
  30. https://uk.hotels.com/de554344-th21/lgbtq-welcoming-hotels-edinburgh-united-kingdom/
  31. https://www.worldrainbowhotels.com/europe/united-kingdom/edinburgh/the-resident-edinburgh/
  32. Web site: Gaybourhood and City Life, Thinking Allowed - BBC Radio 4. BBC. 14 February 2018. 31 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180331210948/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04cffpj. live.
  33. News: Why has Hebden Bridge become suicide central?. 1 November 2009. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143734/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/why-has-hebden-bridge-become-suicide-central-1811034.html. live.
  34. Web site: Gay Leeds Map and Guide . April 24, 2021 . March 4, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051046/http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/Gay%20Leeds%20Map%20and%20Guide.pdf.
  35. Web site: I wanna take you to a Gay Bar.... www.bbc.co.uk. 14 February 2018. 18 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118215225/http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2005/02/16/gay_leicester_feature.shtml. live.
  36. Web site: Duffin . Yasmin . Leicester Pride 2014: Hundreds attend procession in support of city's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community . leicestermercury.co.uk . https://web.archive.org/web/20140904124327/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Parade-colour-takes-city-Leicester-Pride-2014/story-22852965-detail/story.html . 2014-09-04.
  37. News: New company for city's Gay Quarter. BBC News. 6 December 2013. 14 February 2018. 8 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181008160313/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-25260739. live.
  38. Web site: Liverpool unveils UK's first gay street signs. 11 November 2011. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143612/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/11/11/liverpool-unveils-uks-first-gay-street-signs/. live.
  39. Web site: Sign Up for Gay Village . Seen Magazine . April 24, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130514072721/http://www.seenmag.co.uk/news-and-features/sign-up-for-gay-village.phuse . May 14, 2013.
  40. Web site: Liverpool pride to return for sixth year. Jade. Wright. 27 March 2015. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143808/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/liverpool-pride-return-sixth-year-8937103. live.
  41. Web site: Superheroes theme for Liverpool Pride 2013. Alan. Weston. 30 March 2013. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215143712/https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/superheroes-theme-liverpool-pride-2013-3011133. live.
  42. Web site: Lloyd . Peter . LIVERPOOL'S HOMOTOPIA FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR 8TH YEAR . divamag.co.uk . https://web.archive.org/web/20111112101810/https://divamag.co.uk/category/news/liverpool's-homotopia-festival-returns-for-8th-year.aspx . 2011-11-12.
  43. Web site: Peter Lloyd . Liverpool's Homotopia festival returns for 8th year . Diva Mag . 27 October 2011 . 2012-06-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111112101810/http://www.divamag.co.uk/category/news/liverpool's-homotopia-festival-returns-for-8th-year.aspx . 12 November 2011 .
  44. Web site: WEST END BOYS . qxmagazine.com . 2018-08-09 . 2018-02-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084002/http://qxmagazine.com/pdf/gayhistory-soho.pdf . live .
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  46. News: Audio slideshow: London Pride at 40. BBC News. 1 July 2011. 14 February 2018. 7 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181007205231/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13965769. live.
  47. Web site: 17 things you need to know about Pride in London 2015. Croydon Guardian. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215083907/http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/leisure/latest/13334993.17_things_you_need_to_know_about_Pride_in_London_2015/. live.
  48. News: Thousands attend London Pride march. BBC News. 27 June 2015. 14 February 2018. 20 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180620052735/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33297964. live.
  49. London awash with colour for 'biggest Pride yet'. Sky News. 6 July 2019. 20 July 2021.
  50. Web site: Gay Britain: what do the statistics say?. Mona. Chalabi. 3 October 2013. The Guardian. 14 February 2018. 16 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180216025020/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check/2013/oct/03/gay-britain-what-do-statistics-say. live.
  51. Web site: Canal Street 20 years on: How has Manchester's gay village changed and can it shed image as 'gay ghetto'? - Mancunian Matters. www.mancunianmatters.co.uk. 29 December 2013. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084147/http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/291267170-canal-street-20-years-how-has-manchester%E2%80%99s-gay-village-changed-and-can-it-shed. live.
  52. News: Thousands to attend Pride parade. Belfasttelegraph. Press Association. 14 February 2018. 29 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200529110824/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/thousands-to-attend-pride-parade-30530234.html. live.
  53. Web site: Beatrix Campbell on the evolution of Manchester's gay village. Beatrix. Campbell. 6 August 2004. The Guardian. 14 February 2018. 16 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180216025213/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/aug/07/gayrights.communities. live.
  54. Web site: Manchester's Gay Village 'as vibrant as ever' but bars need to 'up their game to survive' - Mancunian Matters. www.mancunianmatters.co.uk. 2 April 2015. 14 February 2018. 15 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084314/http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/020473088-manchesters-gay-village-vibrant-ever-bars-need-their-game-survive. live.
  55. Web site: Evidence base for Manchester's lesbian, gay and bisexual population . manchester.gov.uk . 2018-08-09 . 2020-07-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200702195200/https://www.manchester.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/19278/manchester_i_exist_survey_results.pdf . live .
  56. Web site: Sheffield Community Knowledge Profiles - Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community . 2014 . April 24, 2021 . Sheffield City Council . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114210/https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/dms/scc/management/corporate-communications/documents/sheffield-profile/community-knowledge-profiles/LGBT-Community-Knowledge-Profile-2014/LGBT%20Community%20Knowledge%20Profile%202014.pdf . March 4, 2016 . dead .
  57. News: Patterson . Heather . Sheffield is super! . Exposed Magazine . 7 January 2019.

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