What Makes Brighton The LGBTQ Capital Of The UK?

Far and wide, Brighton has long been known as the LGBTQ capital of the UK. It has an incredibly progressive attitude towards society and really is a hub for LGBTQ people to come and live. But have you ever been curious as to what makes Brighton so unique and desirable? Well, we’ve whittled it down to the following top reasons.

The Gay Pride Festival in Brighton is … HUGE!

A few cities in the UK host a Gay Pride festival, but few compare to what is on offer in Brighton. The first festival took place back in 1973 and has now become an annual fixture. Better yet, every year, they just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger. On average, around 450 thousand people attend the event. The recent 2018 festival garnered worldwide media attention after Britney Spear’s surprise performance.

On its own, the fact that a celebrity as huge as Britney Spears would fly all the way to the UK to attend an event in Brighton shows how popular this annual event is. In just one day, Brighton Pride brings in around 2% of Brighton’s overall annual visitor count! As well as more than £20 million to the local economy.

It has nightlife suited to everyone

If you’re looking for incredible nightlife, then Brighton is the place to be. This applies to everyone, regardless of whether you are gay or not. However, it is worth noting that Brighton offers many of the hottest, most exciting gay-oriented venues available in the UK. Clubs such as The A Bar and Bar Revenge are always big favourites with both locals and tourists alike.

It’s has a long history as an LGBTQ centre

It’s not just in recent years that Brighton has upped its gay game. As opposed to other growing LGBTQ cities, such as Manchester and Glasgow, Brighton has been known as a gay hub for around 2 centuries. It all began sometime in the early 1800s, during the Napoleonic wars, when Brighton experienced a large influx of British soldiers to the city.

It’s around this time that records of an LGBTQ community date back to. However, any bars and clubs remained largely unspoken of and grew slowly in popularity throughout the 1800s and 1900s. In the 1930s, there seemed to be a much more rapid expansion of gay bars and clubs and Brighton became a popular seaside escape for members of the LGBTQ community.

It hosts Trans Pride every year

As well as Gay Pride, Brighton hosts an event called Trans Pride. Attendance is increasing year on year and awareness of Trans Pride and what it stands for is starting to gain ever greater momentum. The event started in 2013 and now takes place over an entire weekend in July each year.

They do a lot to promote queer film

Queer film seems to be more popular than ever, and Brighton is doing its fair share to promote film amongst sexual minorities. The Eyes Wide Open Cinema arranges a number of films each month, across various venues in and around Brighton. They were founded in 2012 by Jonathon Hyde, and the organisation is now run by a small, but passionate team.

The city offers a whole host of support groups for LGBTQ residents

There has long been a severe lack of mental health support in place for LGBTQ people in the UK. Brighton is, in fact, one of the few cities putting in the necessary action needed to help tackle the issue. In recent years, a number of organisations have sprung up that deal specifically in supporting members of the LGBTQ community. These include:

MindOut – A mental service designed to support local LGBTQ residents in Brighton.
Allsorts Youth Project – Specifically designed to help support local teens in Brighton and surrounding areas.
The Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard – This helpline has been active since 1975 and now handles around 5,000 calls every single year.
Clare Project – They host weekly drop-in sessions and support meeting for those having issues with exploring their gender.

There are tonnes of gay-friendly businesses

Local business owners are incredibly accepting of the large gay community in Brighton. In fact, plenty of businesses are run by members of the LGBTQ community, specifically for other members of this community. Some of our favourite gay-friendly businesses include:

Brush Brighton. Why run an art gallery or a hair salon when you can do both together?! Well, Brush Brighton is a quirky, yet exciting art gallery that includes a one-seat hair salon. It’s really hard not to love this place.
Jing Massage. Jing Massage is a local Brighton-based business that helps locals become fully trained and qualified in the art of massage. Don’t worry, you haven’t got to be gay to attend!
Bom-Bane’s. Bom-Bane’s is an incredibly popular local cafe that is known for its Film ‘n’ Food nights. It’s an incredibly quirky place to hang out with friends and grab a bite to eat. Check out their site for upcoming movie nights and food deals.