The area is diverse, featuring sex shops, as well as an adult cinema and sexual health clinic.
The Birmingham Gay Village is an LGBT district next to the Chinese Quarter in Birmingham city centre, centred along Hurst Street, which hosts many LGBT-friendly businesses.[1] The village is visited by thousands of people every week and has a thriving night life featuring clubs, sports bars, cocktail bars, cabaret bars and shops, with most featuring live entertainment including music, dancing and drag queens.[2]
The 2017 gay, lesbian and bisexual population of the West Midlands was recorded at 2.2%[3] or 128,920 of the estimated 5.86 million residents of the West Midlands region.[4] In 2009, the gay and lesbian population of Birmingham was estimated to be around 6 per cent or 60,000[5] of the estimated 1.03 million residents.[6]
Formation and development
The area expanded from just the Nightingale Club and Windmill bar in the 1980s, to multiple bars and venues in the surrounding streets, with the area first curtained off from the rest of the city by the Smallbrook Queensway section of the Inner Ring Road. This took place in the 1950s, when the area was a little warehouse district with a few small businesses. The area was expanded in the 1980s when land to the east of Hurst Street was cleared for the building of the Arcadian Centre, with the only surviving building being that of the Missing Bar. The Gay Village finally took its form in the 1990s after the number of venues increased and gave the area more of a boundary, while the increasing number of bars resulted from an increasing number of customers and amount of diversity offered.[7]
The starting point for unhindered growth of the gay village was the partial decriminalisation of gay sex between males with the Sexual Offences Act 1967. A victory for gay rights and a reflection of attitudes changing towards gay people, the act became a springboard for a gay liberation movement in Birmingham and countless lesbian and gay organizations were created over the following decades to challenge attitudes.[5]
At the end of May 2009, Birmingham City Council approved plans for a £530,000 environmental improvement scheme at the heart of the city's Gay Village area. The changes included extending the avenue of street trees to the full length of Hurst Street and parts of Kent Street; widening pavements to create space for café bars to provide outdoor seating and brighter street lighting with decorative lanterns.[8]
Village events
The Village Inn, a popular venue on Hurst Street (pictured in 2003)
Annually over the Spring bank holiday weekend upwards of 70,000 people[9] flock to the area for Birmingham Pride. Birmingham Pride was the largest free Pride event in the UK before 2013, when an entry fee was introduced for entry to the Gay Village.[10][11][12] Usually there are entertainment acts, market stalls, fairground attractions and a parade, and until 2012 it was completely free. In 2012, for the first time, charges were introduced for access to the entertainment marquees, tents and certain areas of some bars. In 2013, the charge was expanded to include entrance to the Gay Village.[13]
Gay and Lesbian Pride Ball
The Gay and Lesbian Pride Ball takes place every spring at the International Convention Centre with an average audience of 1000 plus attendees. It is organized by Midland Zone Magazine and features an opening act to begin with, the Midlands Zone Readers' Awards, a three-course meal, a live entertainment event, a disco, and then an after-party in the Gay Village.[13][14]
The first Pride Ball took place in 1998 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and was the idea of Graham Brogden, who was a committee member for Birmingham Pride at the time. At inception, the idea was for the Pride Ball to fund Birmingham Pride, although Midland Zone Magazine had issues with this and took control of Pride Ball in 2001 to separate it from Birmingham Pride. They also moved the venue to the International Convention Centre, where they managed to get 540 participants for their first event. Rising to almost 800 by 2008, and being used to fund local LGBT organisations and HIV and AIDS charities.[15]
In March 2012 the Pride ball raised £21,236 for AIDS and HIV charities. And organizations to gain funding were presented with their cheque in the Nightingale Club by Louie Spence of Pineapple Dance Studios.[16][17]
Christmas Ball
On 8 November 2012 the first Christmas Ball and charity fundraiser created for the Birmingham gay community was announced. It took place in the Penthouse above the Loft Lounge on 18 December 2012. The event included a meal and local drag acts: Little Miss Marty, Miss Penny-Tration, The Sensational Pam Catz, birminghams very own Adele - Stacey Donohoe, Ricky Finlan, Lee Jedward and Pam-la Motown.[18]
Originally known as The Windmill, then Partners Bar, XL's and TRISHA's. Now known as Glamorous Bar, it is a late-night venue located on Hurst Street next to the Hippodrome. It has seen many changes over the years and is now a late-night venue.
Previously known as The Court Jester, the building was put up in 1964, when the Inner Ring Road was undergoing development. It became popular in the 1970s with the LGBT community, and this intensified until the late 1990s, when its popularity had fallen due to competition from newer bars in the village. The venue stayed in business until 2006, later reopening in 2010 after renovations and a rename to Bar Jester, with the addition of a marble Jester engraving at the entrance.[20]
Following refurbishment by owner and former Mr Gay UK Richard Carr,[21] it was a karaoke and live cabaret bar open every night of the week.[22] The venue closed in 2019.[23]
Boltz Club
Boltz is a former members only cruising club for men. The club had theme nights and featured dark rooms, an indoor cinema, and a "piss room" for watersports to members. Boltz failed to reopen on its original site after the Covid-19 pandemic but the owners do plan on opening on a new site.[24]
The building is of Victorian design and dates back to 1897. It has a history as a public house and was previously known as the Australian Bar, with a restaurant on the first floor, known as Alexander's.[25] It was renamed the Missing Bar. It was taken over in January 2010 by 7 Carat Ltd and refurbished soon after. Once known as a cabaret bar, the management instead attempted to make Missing a "party bar"[clarification needed], since they felt the Birmingham gay scene was lacking one.[citation needed]
Loft Lounge
Equator Bar
Equator opened in 2002[clarification needed] after taking the place of a solarium tanning centre and converting the building into a bar. Its 10th birthday was celebrated on 28 April 2012 with a buffet and Elvis Presley tribute act. Equator is also the home of the transgender social group Outskirts, providing a meeting space for people in the trans community on the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month.
Kent Street Baths, while an empty building under the name of Kent House.
The Kent Street Baths were designed by D. R. Hill, with construction starting on 29 October 1849.[26] The baths were opened on 12 May 1851,[26][27] although, construction was not completed until 1852. The baths were the first to be opened by the Birmingham Baths Committee.[28]
In 1930, the main buildings, with the exception of the women's bath on Gooch Street, were demolished[26] and new facilities were built in a more modern art deco style. It was opened on 29 May 1933 and renamed Kent House.[29] Designed by Hurley Robinson,[28]
The baths and surrounding buildings suffered heavy damage during World War II to a heavy night raid on 3 December 1940, with repairs made after the war ended.
The baths were historically significant to the gay history of the area, being popular with gay men in the 1950s as a safe meeting place.[30]
In September 2009, after lying empty for years, the baths were demolished by Benacre Property, the landowner, provoking a local outcry.[31] Despite being Grade B locally listed, Birmingham City Council were unable to save the building and the site became a surface car park.
Sidewalk
Sidewalk
Location(s)
125-127 Hurst Street, Birmingham, B5 6SE
Built
1931
History
Laurie's International Club 1996-? Angels Cafe Bar?-2010 The Angel 2010–2012 Sidewalk 2012–present
Originally a car showroom in the 1930s, entrepreneur Laurie Williams transformed the premises into a private members gay bar in 1996 under the name Laurie's International Club and opened it in time for the first Birmingham Pride in 1997. It had wide windows all around, opening it up to views from the street, a first in the gay village and a protest to attitudes of the period that gay people were deviants or perverted.
"Angels opened, with plate-glass windows – I was amazed to see gay people in the open – I had thought gay people in Birmingham must be vampires!"[32]
It was later sold to Gareth Scratchard,[when?] who renamed it Angels Cafe Bar.[33] It closed down and was bought by Birmingham Mardi Gras Ltd, a subsidiary of the Nightingale Club in January 2010 before undergoing a four-month refurbishment at a reported cost exceeding £400,000[34] and reopening in September 2010.[35][clarification needed] It later became a restaurant called The Angel and then after closing for refurbishment again, reopening in 2012.[clarification needed] Now called Sidewalk, it is marketed as a bar and restaurant and has been refurbished to have a "San Francisco warehouse" decor. It has a ground floor and a basement, ideal for "private hire and small conferencing".[36]
Sidewalk was the host of a fundraising event for the armed forces on 1 December 2012, specifically for the Mercian Regiment Charity.[37]
Queer Street
Previously known as Purple Bar & Lounge, it opened on 27 September 2010 and closed on 18 August 2012 after a take-over by GB Holdings, the owner of the Nightingale.[38] It reopened later[39] on 27 September 2012 as Queer Street after it was refurbished. Queer Street is to operate as a "feeder" bar for the Nightingale, attracting and entertaining customers which the Nightingale would not until later in the night when it opens its doors.[40]
In March 2013, Queer Street announced it was being sued by Nigel Martin-Smith, the former manager of Take That, on behalf of his bar, QUEER, in Manchester. Smith claimed ownership of the word "queer", its usage nationally, and that his brand was being "tarnished and diluted" by the deceptively named Queer Street. Andrew Norris, representing Queer Street, countered: "The only element common to the name and logo of both bars is the word Queer...Queer is commonly and colloquially understood as describing someone who is gay, thus Queer in these circumstances has a descriptive meaning."[41] Queer Street closed down in late 2013.[42]
The Village Inn
One of the oldest hostelries in the gay village. Came under new management in April 2008 and was refurbished immediately with the work completed by 22 May 2008.[43] The official Village Inn website states that there is a late-night bar, called The Village Underground, open until the early hours, during the weekend.[44]
Eden Bar
Previously known as the White Swan Pub,[43] it was refurbished and renamed in 2008 and became Eden Bar.[45] The Eden Bar hosted an annual karaoke competition Sing Star Superstar with a DJ and cash prize.[46] Eden Bar also host Lip Gloss, a monthly event in aid of the transgender community. The first event in February 2012 was attended by hundreds[citation needed] of members of the transgender community from different parts of the country and was formally launched by popular television personalities.[who?] The events include entertainment, a buffet, raffle, and the crowning of the new Miss Lip Gloss Queen.[citation needed] Eden Bar closed for a 5th birthday refurbishment between 17–22 March 2013.[47] In October 2020, the owners of the venue announced that it would be closing permanently.[48]
The Core
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2017)
The Fox
The Fox is the only venue in the Gay Village to market itself exclusively to a lesbian audience. The official website for The Fox lists the club as a straight bar established in 1901 and taken over in 1997 by Andy Duncan King, later restyled as a lesbian bar in 2001.[49]
The Nightingale
After first opening as a members-only club in 1969, the Nightingale, often known simply as "The Gale", is the oldest gay nightclub in Birmingham, at over 50 years old.[50][51] The members had the responsibility to elect a committee to run the club in their interests at this time, although at some point the Nightingale dropped the members and visitors only policy to become "Incorporated". The board of directors is still responsible for representing the interests of the members.[52]
As of 2012, and after more than 40 years open, and many redesigns, the Nightingale has occupied three locations in Birmingham; 50 Camp Hill (1969–1975), Witton Lane (1975–1981),[32] Thorp Street behind the Hippodrome (1981–1994), and the current location at Essex House,[53] which has three floors, an outdoor smoking area and bar, a restaurant, a stage and dance platforms, two more indoor bars, a balcony, and a games area. The Nightingale club and UK charity music festival, Oxjam raised £2,571.66 to fight "extreme poverty and hardship" between February and March 2010.[54] The Nightingale regularly offers special nights and books famous musicians to play, as well as entertainers, including fire breathers and stilt-walkers.[55][56][57]
In November 2011 the Nightingale Club went into administration,[why?] and was taken over by GB Holdings Ltd, with the new owner Lawrence Barton pledging a £1,000,000 investment for three years. Afterwards, the Nightingale began regularly announcing celebrity and big name stars to appear at the club for events. On 27 September 2012 it was reported by Midlands Zone that visitors had increased by 25% since the takeover, leading to more than 1,000 clubbers visiting on most Saturdays.[58]
Beginning in May 2012, the Nightingale played host to each of the ten contestants voted off BBC show The Voice every Saturday, until 7 July when the winning act was announced and appeared at the club.[59]
On 20 October 2012 the Nightingale Club organised The Midlands Big Gay Night Out, which was a yearly event before the recession. Attendees who bought "The Big Gay Travel Pass" received a coach ride to and from the Club and free entry to the UV party – spread over all three floors. The event attracted hundreds of visitors to the Nightingale from across the Midlands.[60]
DV8
After first opening in 1999,[61] and after 10 years trading, DV8 closed down in January 2011, with the intention of finding a new buyer. Management cited a tough economy for the decision.[62] DV8 was born from an ambitious but failed plan by Bill Gavan to merge the premises of DV8 and the Nightingale Club, situated across the road, with the intention to create a gay leisure complex dwarfing every other venue in the area.[53][61] By comparison, the Nightingale was then, in 1998, and still is, the biggest venue in the village without the merger.
The venue then re-opened, renamed i-Host; in 2011 i-Host was banned from playing recorded music as their PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) licence was out of date.[63]
DV8 was raided by police on the morning of 12 November 2012 and 28 people were arrested for supplying and cultivating what was believed to be ecstasy and Class A drugs. Ten of the arrested were found to be illegal immigrants and were detained by the UK Border Agency. Sergeant David Sproson of the West Midlands Police was quoted as saying, "This action is the culmination of background and intelligence work stretching back several months which looked at the venue and people frequenting a party night popular with the Vietnamese community." They released a statement later in the day claiming they were talking to the venue owner about "licensing issues".[64]
i-Host reverted to the DV8 name; and in late-2013 hosted a Halloween-themed party.[65]
The Fountain Inn
The Fountain Inn opened as The Fountain in 1991. The bar established a reputation as a leather bar popular with men.[66] It renamed to The Fountain Inn later.[when?][citation needed]
The Wellington
Affectionately known as "The Welly" by locals, the Wellington Hotel is alleged to have held the first gay marriages in all of Birmingham, and many years before the Civil Partnership Act of 2005 was enacted. Folklore of the Wellington tells of how a local priest would bless the wedding couple by sneaking into the building via the subway on Bristol Street.[32] As of May 2019, The Wellington Hotel is closed and is currently up for commercial lease.[67]
The Queen Elizabeth
Previously known as "The Queens Tavern", the bar was taken over on 1 December 2012 and renamed to The Queen Elizabeth. The bar is expected to be refurbished, with a VIP lounge added and a new menu.[68] The venue opened as 'Priva Bar' in 2014 as a late night after-club bar.[69] The bar's license was suspended in 2019 following a violent incident.[70]
Club Chic
Club Chic celebrated its 8th birthday on 24 November 2012 with a UV party and a face painter. They also gave away free CDs to customers on the night.[71]
Club Chic was previously known as Kudos bar, which opened in 2001.[72]
Route 66
Route 66 was a straight bar in the early 1990s under the name Rockwells. Bass Breweries changed this by renovating the club and renamed it Route 66. It was the first gay bar in the region to be managed by a brewery. Popular drag act Miss Billie drew crowds to the club, and was responsible for the picket and protest outside Jo Joes bar in 1996 for fair access for the LGBT community, after personally being refused entry.[73]
It was then known as Route 2, before closing down in January 2010.[74]Route 2 later re-opened as Medusa Lodge, an adult night club and burlesque venue.[75]
The Birmingham Gay Village rhinoceros installed on the roof of the Urban Kitchen, officially known as Wynner House
The 'Shout for Village Pride' mural was commissioned for the Shout Festival in 2009 and given a "life expectancy" of 5 years after funding was granted by Big City Planning. It was painted on the exterior wall of the City Centre South car park on Hurst Street, directly opposite The Village Bar. In early 2012 the new owners of the car park, Gallan Properties covered the mural by painting the building black.
In early 2012 a new piece of public art to replace the mural was commissioned and funded by Southside BID, GB Training Ltd, the Birmingham LGBTQ and a £10,000 grant from Birmingham City Council for the improvement of the city centre. The winning entry was sculpture was for a £15,000 rhinestone encrusted statue of a rhinoceros now located on Wynner House "as a mascot for the city's gay village".[76] The Rhinoceros is intended to reflect the strength and original symbol of the gay rights movement in the United States, and the rhinestones refer to the jewellery production history of Birmingham. It was installed shortly before Birmingham Pride 2012, which took place over the Diamond Jubilee weekend at the beginning of July, and contains a heart, "filled with memories, stories, photos and videos submitted by local people".[13][77][78]
A gay village, also known as a gayborhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques, and bookstores.
Canal Street is a street in Manchester city centre in North West England and the centre of Manchester's gay village. The pedestrianised street, which runs along the west side of the Rochdale Canal, is lined with gay bars and restaurants. At night time, and in daytime in the warmer months, the street is filled with visitors, often including LGBT tourists from all over the world. The northern end of the street meets Minshull Street and the southern meets Princess Street; part of the street looks across the Rochdale Canal into Sackville Gardens.
Birmingham Pride is a weekend-long LGBTQ+ festival held annually in the Gay Village, Hurst Street, Birmingham, England, over the spring bank holiday weekend. Birmingham Pride is the UK's largest two-day gay pride festival.
Adam Yosef is a British journalist, photojournalist and political activist.
The LGBTQ community of Brighton and Hove is one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Brighton, a seaside resort on the south coast of England, has been described in some media as a "gay capital" of the UK, with records pertaining to LGBTQ history dating back to the early 19th century.
Manchester Pride is a charity that campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality across the United Kingdom, predominantly in Greater Manchester. The Charity offers dialogue, training, research and policy analysis, advocacy and outreach activities focusing on LGBTQ+ rights.
The Pride Quarter, also known as the Stanley Street Quarter, Liverpool Gay Quarter or Village, is an area within Liverpool City Centre, England. It serves as the main focal point for Liverpool's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The quarter is made up of mixed use developments including residential blocks, hotels, bars, nightclubs and various other businesses, many of which cater for the LGBT community. Aspects of the annual Liverpool Pride are also held in and around Stanley Street.
The Birmingham Lesbian and Gay Community Centre was an LGBT community centre in Birmingham, England. Opened in December 1976 as the Birmingham Gay Community Centre in Bordesley Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, the centre was the first LGBT community centre to be established in the United Kingdom, and paved the way for the establishment of similar institutions in London and Manchester in the 1980s. Its headquarters were at the Nightingale Club from 1981 to 1984, before moving to a former clothing factory at 291 Corporation Street.
Pride in Liverpool, is an annual festival of LGBT culture which takes place across various locations in Liverpool City Centre including the gay quarter. Audience numbers reach up to 75,000 people, making it one of the largest free Gay Pride festivals in Europe.
The LGBT community in Liverpool, England is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and has a recorded history since the 18th century. Many historic LGBT firsts and pioneering moments in the LGBT rights movement either took place in Liverpool or were achieved by citizens of the city.
The development of LGBT culture in Philadelphia can be traced back to the early 20th century. It exists in current times as a dynamic, diverse, and philanthropically active culture with establishments and events held to promote LGBT culture and rights in Philadelphia and beyond.
LGBTQ culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBTQ advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
Vancouver's LGBT community is centered on Davie Village. Commercial Drive has historically acted as a gayborhood for the Vancouver lesbian community. Historically, LGBT people have also gathered in the Chinatown and Gastown neighborhoods. Former establishments include Dino's Turkish Baths, a gay bathhouse on Hastings, and the city's first drag bar, BJ's, on Pender Street.
LGBT culture in Leeds, England, involves an active community of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender/transsexual. A BBC News Online article published in 2012 stated that, while Leeds City Council has not published statistics relating to the number of LGBT residents, the figure can be estimated at 10% of the overall population, which currently suggests a total of at least 77,000. The tenth year of the Leeds Pride march and celebration, held in 2016, was attended by over 40,000 people.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in Manchester.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities experienced by marginalized populations, and has had a significant impact on the LGBT community. Pride events were cancelled or postponed worldwide. More than 220 gay pride celebrations around the world were canceled or postponed in 2020, and in response a Global Pride event was hosted online. LGBTQ+ people also tend to be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, cancer, or obesity, that would worsen their chances of survival if they became infected with COVID-19. They are also more likely to smoke.
Saima Razzaq is a British political activist and educator, co-chair of SEEDS and Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Birmingham Pride. Razzaq actively campaigns for LGBT inclusive education in schools and was the first Muslim woman to lead a Pride parade in Britain.
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." 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. 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. It is thought that LGBT-inclusive areas help towns and cities in the UK to prosper economically, but some believe the building of such areas creates an isolating effect on some LGBT people who want to blend in.
References
↑ "Gay Village". VisitBirmingham.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
