Gay Geography and history: 1903-2003
Off and on in the 1970Seand 80s, the Europa’s Whip and Saddle bar in Great Victoria Street was the city’s only gay venue. Despite, at times being the only customers in such a bombed hotel, we were never entirely welcome and were ultimately driven out, At one point in the 1970s NIGRA mounted a picket because of a member being barred for some minor indiscretion like kissing.
Due to Kieran H., a gay staffer’s efforts, the Crow’s Nest in Skipper Street then became a gay bar with a small disco from c. 1986. After several makeovers, it changed its name to the Custom House in 2002 and is re-invigorated as a gay bar hoisting Men of the North events on alternate Fridays. It returned to the Crow’s Nest title later after another makeover.
The Carpenter Club in Long Lane (proprietors Richard Hodgson, Jeff Dudgeon, and NIGRA in a limited partnership) waSean extensive, unlicensed disco and coffee bar on two floors operating from the early to the mid 1980s. Cara-Friend had offices upstairs. It was ultimately compulsorily purchased by the DOE to make way for the currently renamed Writers’ (formerly Skinhead) Square. The Carpenter Club though gradually successful was vulnerable to any premises like a hotel on the skids which had a drinks licence. Such licences were prohibitively expensive. Cara-Friend moved to new premises at Cathedral Buildings in Lower Donegall Street where Lesbian Line also has roomSeand GL YNI and NIGRA meet. Both C-F and Queer Space have run busy Saturday drop-ins at Cathedral Buildings the former having had previous rooms in Botanic Avenue and Eglantine Avenue.
The Orpheus Bar/Disco in York Street had a successful three-year existence under the proprietorship of Ian Rosbotham in the mid-1980s, despite the rampant damp, and a short afterlife once renovated.
The Dunbar Arms in Dunbar Link was firebombed by the INLA with drag queen Mae West being nearly singed to death. After rebuilding, it became the Parliament Bar, run by two straight guys, Martin Ramsay and Brendan, continuing as a gay venue with an upstairs disco, from the 1990s until 2003 when it abandoned the gay market.
Cruising areas have been marred by murder – Anthony McCleave in Oxford Street, Belfast in the 1970Seand Ian Flanagan in Barnett’s Park in 2002. There have been others.
One nighters have been operated since the mid 1980s in the Midland Hotel (Saturdays), the Limelight (Mondays), the Venue, White’s Tavern (Wednesdays) and Milk (Mondays).
The Kremlin, an extensive, gay-owned (by Andre Graham and Seamus Sweeney) bar and disco(s) in Upper Donegall Street after opening in March 1999 has become the dominant gay venue in the city, regularly enhancing its facilities. Most recently they have brought property in nearby Union Street to house the men’s health, Rainbow Project (formerly in Church Lane) and Belfast’s first ever gay sauna, the Garage, in whose tropical climate romance blossoms. Sex in saunas, that is sex with more than two males present, was legalized in 2003 thanks to NIGRA’s successful campaign to have Northern Ireland included in the Sexual Offences Bill’s abolition of the crimes of gross indecency and buggery.
The latest development in the creation of a gay village in Belfast is the opening of the up market Union Street pub which is drawing out those gays who prefer less disco noise and tobacco smoke in their entertainment. The only cloud on the new village’s horizon is cyber chat and cyber cruising which are ever more popular night and day.