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The gay scene is a strange place sometimes. The Chinese whispers and rumour-mongering between ourselves has caused many a queen to choke into their pint and yet sometimes things happen to show that there is still a sense of community. I’m obviously referring in part to Pride. But there’s more going on than just that. Sometimes I look around the scene and feel incredibly proud. Like many people my age and older I took part in gay rights marches. I campaigned. I wrote letters. I made sure that as far as possible the straight world ‘out there’ would see that ‘we’re here, we’re queer and get used to it.’ Now with the Pride season in full flow it shows how far we have come.
Leeds’ journey has been massive, from the old days of The Penny being the only gay venue it now has a scene to rival any in the north. The pubs and bars offer the widest choice of music and experiences that I know of. Where else on pride weekend would you get a pre-pride sports day (Hyde Park on sat), DJs from Heaven (Religion) drag queens (Bridge, Penny, Viaduct, Xibit), live alternative bands and DJs (Xibit), Queer Kandi (Mission), wet t-shirt/boxer comps (Viaduct), garden parties(Queens Court/Fibre) as well as the pick of the resident DJs?
Even Oxfam in Leeds has begun offering a trans-friendly evening where you can shop, try things on and maybe pick up that Armani frock for a tenner! Ten years ago all this would have seemed unthinkable.
The people that we need to thank the most for this change is ourselves. Some of the chickens who run around the scene whipping off their shirts to reveal oh-so-teeny tiny pert little bodies only have the freedom to do that because the older guys on the scene have fought for so long for their rights. The guys who marched, the guys who were brave enough to be out and proud despite the threats, hatred and even violence, they’re the ones we all need to say a big thank you to. It’s also thanks to magazines like this one all over the country who help give grass roots support to people coming out however old they are. How many of us read Shout! and other mags for months or years before finally making the trek to the local gay bar, or ringing the switchboard?
There’s an awful lot of bitchiness on the scene but there are also some wonderful, awe-inspiring people who work day and night to help others. There are door staff who work on the switchboard helping people come out, there are bar staff and DJs who give up hours and hours of their time to arrange events, there are people writing charity pantomimes, there are scene businessmen donating thousands to charity, there are people talking on radio shows about their status, there are sex shop workers who tirelessly raise money and awareness time and time again, there are hard working families fostering and adopting children who’d otherwise be in care, there are volunteers who trudge from bar to bar encouraging us all to take better care of our health and offer support to those who really need it.
Across the Yorkshire region there are some amazing people doing some very important and necessary work. You may not get the praise or recognition sometimes when gobby queens like me steal the thunder but I would like to say to all of you THANK YOU! Remember: whichever ones you go to, Pride is our day, we worked bloody hard for it over the years and we deserve it so ENJOY!
Anna Glypta
Stories from the magazine this month:
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