WITH the largt LGBTQ+ populatn outsi of London, Brighton has gaed a reputatn over the s as beg the "gay pal" of the…
Contents:
- WHY IS ROCHFORD ENGLAND’S STRAIGHTT PLACE AND BRIGHTON S GAY PAL?
- BRIGHTON: THE LGBTQ+ HISTORY OF THE 'GAY PAL OF UK'
- BRIGHTON IS 'GAY PAL'
- PIERS & QUEERS: TAKE A TOUR OF ENGLAND’S ‘GAY CAPAL’
- COUPL TIE KNOT 'GAY PAL'
- SAFE HAVEN: WHY THIS BRIGHTON CHURCH IS FLOURISHG IN BRA'S GAY CAPAL
- BRIGHTON – THE GAY CAPAL OF BRA
WHY IS ROCHFORD ENGLAND’S STRAIGHTT PLACE AND BRIGHTON S GAY PAL?
The cens suggted people the Essex district were six tim ls likely to be gay than those the East Ssex cy * how did brighton become the gay capital *
Unr nstctn durg the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), ’s unrstood that the flux of soldiers to Brighton durg the years cis wh the first rerd LGBTQ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Queer) history the muny. In the 1930s, gay and lbian bars and pubs spread throughout the cy – and after World War II, whispers of Brighton’s unique diversns spread to others lookg for a safe space to explore their sexualy. Today, ’s thought that 11-15% of all adults Brighton intify as gay, lbian or bisexual.
Brighton is undoubtedly one of the gayt ci the world. From havg the hight percentage of same-sex hoeholds the UK to the timated 160, 000 Brighton Pri visors each year, the cy’s LGBTQ muny has ma Brighton the unofficial gay pal of Great Bra. But this gay-iendly reputatn isn’t anythg new.
The Peers and Queers tour explor parts of Brighton’s lser-known gay history and illumat historic characters of the cy’s past cludg Osr Wil and Lord Byron. The muny’s prence n be seen throughout the relatively small cy of around 280, 000 people wh many landmarks havg extensive gay histori. “It’s fun that the Marqus of Queensberry, the father of Osr Wil’s boyiend, whose homophobia led to Wil’s imprisonment, has a pub named after him, which is now a gay pub.
BRIGHTON: THE LGBTQ+ HISTORY OF THE 'GAY PAL OF UK'
* how did brighton become the gay capital *
Brighton’s open-md approach has created one of the most vibrant and excg gay scen found anywhere the world, but while the wir LGBTQ muny the UK is aware of Brighton as an extremely popular gay statn, many are not aware how rich and plex the LGBTQ history of Brighton is. Sce the UK marked the 50th anniversary of the partial crimalizatn of homosexualy 2017, a number of cultural projects discsg gay histori have been lnched, but for such a broad muny there are relatively few prehensive iativ examg LGBTQ histori.
Gay life Brighton n differ om the experience found self-ntaed gay villag larger ci like London’s Soho or Manchter’s Canal Street, where outsi of the villag certa areas are ls gay-iendly than others. “Brighton’s gay scene is relatively small pared to bigger ci, and almost entirely owned by lol bsmen, but as far as I’m ncerned, every pub the cy is gay-iendly.
BRIGHTON IS 'GAY PAL'
A walkg tour around Brighton, the ‘gay pal’ of England, looks at this betiful and historic cy through the ey s LGBTQ habants over the last 200 years as part of Brighton Frge ftival May. * how did brighton become the gay capital *
The center of gay Brighton is St Jam’s Street, wh the wir Kemptown area offerg pubs, bars, and nightclubs for all members of the LGBTQ muny. From The Bulldog, Brighton’s olst gay bar, to Club Revenge, which holds Brighton’s biggt lbian night, and bear bar The Camelford Arms, few are left out of the gay scene.
There is a lim to how much LGBTQ safe spac n protect agast the reali of anti-gay attus and hate. UK gay rights anizatn Stonewall published rearch earlier this year showg that 20 percent of LGBTQ people Bra have experienced a hate crime or cint over the past year.
Some of the most vlent and egreg anti-LGBTQ attacks have taken place gay ‘safe havens, ’ wh some attackers sglg out the areas due to the high LGBTQ populatns. Olr LGBTQ people may not fd many spac that don’t predomately ter to younger people and disabled LGBTQ people n fd physil barriers to enterg gay-iendly venu.
PIERS & QUEERS: TAKE A TOUR OF ENGLAND’S ‘GAY CAPAL’
Even wh the problematic elements found gay villag, ’s still better to be an environment that, on the whole, let’s all typ of LGBTQ people live the life they choose whout fear of anti-LGBTQ hate.
It’s unlikely gay-iendly neighborhoods like San Francis’s Castro, Le Marais Paris and Brighton, will bee irrelevant anytime soon. “Brighton is a te haven of acceptance for all people, cludg lbian, gay, bi, and trans folk, and tly pris self on beg somewhere where all people feel able to be themselv, ” says Matt Horwood, Senr Communitns Officer at Stonewall. Brighton and Hove, for s England’s unofficial gay pal, n now wear the official crown.
One 10 people aged over 16 the cy intified themselv as lbian, gay, bisexual or “other sexual orientatn” the 2021 cens.
COUPL TIE KNOT 'GAY PAL'
It was exactly le wh the s-old timat based on the works of the 1940s US profsor Aled Ksey who ntend homosexualy was far more wispread than officialdom ntrast, the district of Rochford Essex was shown as the straightt place England. 6% of the populatn there said they were LGB+, suggtg that those livg the largely ral, somewhat nservative area near Southend-on-Sea are six tim ls likely to be gay than those Brighton and Hove. Unlike Rochford, Brighton has a long history of pneerg gay rights, om s bars and clubs to s annual Pri ftival.
Last year the cy said farewell to the self-proclaimed “olst gay the village”, Gee Montague, who died aged 98 after s of mpaigng. “Brighton has a huge amount of LGBT+ venu and muny support anisatns that mak a very very attractive place for LGBT+ people to live, ” said the gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell. Dpe the generally more gay-iendly atmosphere there is still a problem wh gay-bashg attacks.
Wh the largt number of lbian, gay and bisexual people England, Brighton has gaed a reputatn over the s as beg the unofficial “gay pal” of the UK. Wh homosexualy beg illegal at the time, many LGBTQ+ people also faced vlent attacks.
SAFE HAVEN: WHY THIS BRIGHTON CHURCH IS FLOURISHG IN BRA'S GAY CAPAL
Several pubs wh a lbian or gay clientele began to thrive durg this time, cludg the now-closed Star of Bnswick and Pigott’s bar at the St Jam Tavern Maira Place.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Brighton was the top statn for gay holidaymakers, wh gutho eher owned by gay men or willg to ignore stanc of illegal activy. Homosexualy was crimalised England 1967 and, the age of “flower power”, a movement grew to challenge homophobic attus and norms.
The lnch of Gay News 1972, Bra’s first natnal gay newspaper, allowed LGBTQ+ venu and anisatns to let others know of their existence, cludg those om Brighton. Organisatns mpaigng for LGBTQ+ rights began to form the early 1970s, wh the Ssex Gay Liberatn Front lnched Febary 1971 by a group of universy stunts and LGBTQ+ rints.
BRIGHTON – THE GAY CAPAL OF BRA
Photos taken by The Arg show activists rryg plards readg “glad to be gay” and “homosexuals are humans”.
The followg years also saw the lnch of the Brighton Gay Swchboard - then known as the Lavenr Le, which provid a support le for LGBTQ+ people. In the first 25 years of the epimic, more than 482 people Brighton died of Aids - the majory of them beg gay men. A new wave of LGBTQ+ activism started after Sectn 28 1988, which prohibed uncils and schools om the “promotn of homosexualy”, was troduced.