Learn more about this iconic LGBTQIA+ hotspot
BY CAITLIN NEWMAN, IMAGES PROVIDED
Soho is renowned as London’s gay capital. Home to some of the top queer clubs and bars of past and present, from The Admiral Duncan to the recently closed G-A-Y, Soho is celebrated as the place to be if you’re LGBTQIA+. But does Soho truly cater to the diverse needs of the queer community? As LGBTQIA+ mental health charity Queerwell moves its Sunday Sanctuary space to Dean Street this autumn, let’s explore how Soho’s vibrant and intersectional history represents the wider queer community.
Transvestite, Transsexual and Drag Queen Group, Gay Liberation Front
When it comes to queer liberation, the trans+ community has been at the forefront of progress, and the queer movements of London are no exception. Beginning just outside of Soho in the basement of the London School of Economics, the UK Gay Liberation Front would regularly meet from 1971 to 1973 to organise local actions. As part of the GLF, the Transvestite, Transsexual and Drag Queen Group formed and produced Britain’s first trans+ manifesto, “Don’t call me mister, you f**king beast”. Its words ring ever true to this day, as the essay unpacks some of the language and experiences surrounding trans and genderqueer identity. Over fifty years on, it’s a powerful must-read for trans folks and allies.
Chevalier d’Eon
Even closer to home, the Chevalier D’Eon was an iconic transfemme Soho celebrity of the 1700s. Documented as “the most extraordinary person of the age” in London’s Annual Register for 1781, she began her career as a spy and diplomat for King Louis XV of France. Whilst residing on Brewer Street, she published some of the secret diplomatic documents that she had collated throughout her career, rocketing her into local celebrity status. She later began to publicly transition, going by the name Charlotte and competing in fencing matches in women’ s dress. Whilst she received some initial negative reception, she was and continues to be widely celebrated for her military and literary success.
Precious Brown, Candy Bar
It can often feel like sapphic spaces – and especially intersectional sapphic spaces – are few and far between. However, in the late 1990s, lesbian entrepreneur Kim Lucas opened Candy Bar, one of the only full-time nightclubs for queer women.Their regular schedule of club nights featured Precious Brown, a night for Black queer women run by DJs Ain Bailey and Marilyn Clarke. In one interview from the archival podcast Black and Gay, Back in the Day, Bailey and Clarke speak on the importance of Precious Brown for diverse musical representation, featuring an eclectic mix of house music, hip-hop, Latin and jazz. Unfortunately, like many queer spaces from the early 1990s, Candy Bar was forced to close in 2014 due to rising economic pressures. 4 Carlisle Street has since become the home of the gentlemen’s club Sapphire Soho. Whilst Soho’s intersectional history must not be overlooked, the closing of sapphic spaces like Candy Bar is a sobering reminder of the funding and access challenges that our community faces.
Disability Queer Riot
The calls for greater funding of queer nightlife grow ever stronger when considering the physical accessibility of Soho. In 2017, disabled queer activists visited fifteen Soho venues to demand increased accessibility. Holding pink and gold placards with the slogan “I’d love to shag in your toilets, if only I could get in”, the group asked organisations to invest in doorbells, ramps and more comprehensive access training. Nearly ten years on, little has changed. Whilst staff training and awareness have led to some improvements, a lack of top-down financial provision has yet again limited the possible progress of the movement. As documented by Dan Glass in Queer Footprints, it falls to local councils and the Greater London Authority to decide whether to fund accessibility in Soho, leaving many accessibility measures to grind to a halt.
With the opening of Queerwell’s Sunday Sanctuary at 55 Dean Street, a fully accessible space in the heart of Soho, we hope that the intersectional queer community can come together in Soho once again.
Want to learn more about Soho’s queer history with Queerwell? Join us on Sunday, 23 August, from 1.45 pm for a Queer History Tour of Soho, led by gallerist and activist Chris Barlow. Check out Queerwell’s website for more information and to book your free place.
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