Top Gay Clubs & Bars Queen's Quarter (Belfast)

Contents:

• THE BEST BELFAST GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BELFAST
• KEEP GAY
• UNTOLD STORY OF MURR OF GAY POLICE OFFICER BELFAST 1997 PART OF BBC DOCUMENTARY SERI
• TOP GAY CLUBS & BARS QUEEN'S QUARTER (BELFAST)GAY CLUBS & BARS QUEEN'S QUARTER
• A CENTURY AND MORE OF BELFAST GAY LIFE
• GAY LIFE BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND
• GAY BAR BELFAST

THE BEST BELFAST GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS BELFAST

Belfast is home to the largt lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr ftival Ireland and the cy has a thrivg LGBTQI+ muny and gay scene.

The annual Outburst Queer Arts Ftival is packed wh theatre, film, mic, visual art and discsns which explore and celebrate lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr stori and experienc. Belfast's bt gay bars and clubs are loted the cy's Gay Quarter area, north of the cy centre on the edge of the Cathedral Quarter. The cy’s most famo gay club is probably Kreml on Donegall Street.

A huge variety of theme nights, celebry performanc and the iendlit up-for- clubbers giv Kreml the reputatn of beg the bt gay venue Ireland. Maverick Bar on Unn Street is a popular gay bar, well-loved for s eclectic live mic nights and edy shows.

KEEP GAY

Gay-iendly bars clu Muriel’s Café Bar on Church Lane and The Spaniard on Skipper Street. Head to Boombox Belfast on Donegall Street the Gay Quarter.

The Belfast LGBT Centre is loted at 23-31 Warg Street Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, which ho a number of chari cludg the Rabow Project and Cara Friend, providg unsellg, beiendg, rmatn and a health and social space for the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny. Kreml, Unn Street and Maverick are Belfast's three Gay nightlife venu. For more tails on what’s on each night at the, and other gay-iendly bars and clubs, check out.

THE untold story of the murr of a gay police officer Belfast 1997 is part of a new BBC documentary seri. Blood on the Dancefloor vtigat the killg of Darren Bradshaw, who was shot ad the Parliament Bar, the cy's only gay bar at the time.

UNTOLD STORY OF MURR OF GAY POLICE OFFICER BELFAST 1997 PART OF BBC DOCUMENTARY SERI

The untold story of the murr of a gay police officer Northern Ireland 1997, and how the LGBT muny fought back agast prejudice and adversy durg the Troubl. The documentary looks at Mr Bradshaw's murr as well as examg what was like to be gay durg the Troubl. Durg the first episo, Dunbar tells of his shock of learng of Mr Bradshaw's murr: "There's no way you would have had a gay policeman 1997, no way".

TOP GAY CLUBS & BARS QUEEN'S QUARTER (BELFAST)GAY CLUBS & BARS QUEEN'S QUARTER

In 1997 a gay police officer was on a night out when he was murred by terrorists. Darren Bradshaw was jt 24 when he was shot Belfast’s only openly gay bar.

Journalist @jordandunbar10 vtigat how happened and what was like to be gay at the end of ‘The Troubl’. Other episos the seri will look back on how Belfast got s first Pri para only 1991 and s very first openly gay club 1994 - the Parliament bar where Mr Bradshaw was tragilly shot ad. A CENTURY AND MORE OF BELFAST GAY LIFE – Northern Ireland’s gay geography, history and people: 1903-2021.

Acrdg to Roger Casement’s diari, of 1903 and 1910-11, the gay cisg areas Belfast were at the Albert Clock probably around the Ctoms Hoe toilet, Botanic Garns, Orme Park, and the Giants Rg. The blackout om 1939, and the arrival om 1943-4 of 100, 000 Amerin troops Northern Ireland had a huge impact and a special place gay memori.

A CENTURY AND MORE OF BELFAST GAY LIFE

The Royal Avenue (RA) Bar Rosemary Street (the hotel’s public bar, oppose the Red Barn pub) as portrayed Mrice Lech’s fe 1965 novel The Liberty Lad, probably the earlit scriptn of a gay bar Irish lerature, was the first the cy.

Meanwhile the Gay Liberatn Society (GLS) was meetg at Queen’s Universy Stunts Unn om 1972 wh signifint town as well as gown membership.

GAY LIFE BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND

Later om about 1975 until the early 1980s ran highly succsful Saturday night diss the McMordie Hall, attend by up to 300 gays (and ed many apparent straights). The early and mid-70s were the most btal years of the troubl, when there was next to no night life the cy and only gays ventured out for fear of murr.

The Strasbourg se taken by Jeff Dudgeon to the European Court of Human Rights, which 1982 ultimately rulted the endg of life imprisonment for gay men and was the first European regnn of gay rights, was started by NIGRA 1975. From about 1975 until the early 1980s, Gay Lib or the QUB Gay Liberatn Society (GLS) met No. From there was anised the succsful se at Strasbourg agast the Brish Government fund by the Queen’s diss and the later-married pop sger Tom Robson (Glad to be Gay and Motorway).

1976 was also the year of the totally unexpected gay raids when all the NIGRA and Cara-Friend mtee were arrted and the Director of Public Prosecutns (DPP) cid to charge Jeff Dudgeon and Doug Sobey, and Richard Kennedy and another (for sex acts ter se).

GAY BAR BELFAST

This was bee crimalised all gay male sexual activy wh a possible sentence of life imprisonment for buggery, and two years jail for any other sexual act (“gross cency”) thereby terferg wh the right to a private life. A year later a reluctant Brish ernment phed an Orr Council through Wtmster legalisg certa gay sexual activy wh an age of nsent of 21.

The Chart Rooms Lower North Street was the first gay-n bar Belfast. (Ernie and Jim were both procsed through the urts October 1967 and jailed or mted to a mental hospal along wh a dozen others the last big round-up of gays Bangor. Off and on the 1970s and 80s, the Europa’s Whip and Saddle bar Great Victoria Street was the cy’s only gay venue.