I just got back from a long trip to England (my homeland) and decided to search for signs of queer life there. I wasn’t about to go club hopping though. It wasn’t that kind of a visit. It was more of an exploration of everyday life and architecture. We went to many cities and towns across the country from Tunbridge Wells south of London all the way up to Durham in the north end of England. The many bus rides were perfect for spotting pride flags and other signs of queer folk. Here are some of the highlights.
Oxford, a university town, was as expected, full of queerness! We spotted a nightclub festooned with rainbow flags from the bus and then once in the city center, discovered the Oxford Pride stickers decorating many store windows. We explored the famous covered market and were happy to patronize the Soctopus shop, whose logo is an octopus perched on top of a rainbow. I chatted with the lovely salesperson and they gifted me with their staff-only Soctopus pin which I wore on my coat for the rest of the trip.
Leeds was just an overnight visit so that daughter #2 could attend a Sleep Token concert with Aaron but before we left the next morning, we walked around downtown Leeds. We walked by a huge beautiful church with many signs about inclusivity and welcome about gay marriage (a common theme in English churches!). I kept spotting painted progress flags on the pavement then we discovered a series of colorful murals, one of a drag queen against an explosion of rainbow colors. I was very excited to see that in the middle of a small Northern city. And then we turned a corner and ALL the pride flags and rainbow-painted shops were revealed. We had discovered the LGBTQ+ section of Leeds! There were official plaques describing the history of the area, both good and bad.
York, the most haunted city in Europe, has an area known as the Shambles with narrow, winding, cobbled streets full of shops. One shop in particular was pretty cool: Sherlock Holmes’ Imaginarium, run by Xander (a self-professed gay boy) and his sister, “Claire the lesbian.” It’s an irreverent queer gift shop full of all the pride paraphernalia you could want. Xander has drawn snarky signage all over the front windows that made me giggle. I went back twice and got to meet both of them (I even flirted with Claire, heh heh heh).
Our furthest foray north was to the city of Durham, another university town but much smaller than Oxford. However, this university is inside a castle next to an ancient cathedral (again, with signs for inclusivity all over). How come I didn’t get to go to university in a CASTLE? We chatted with lots of lovely, welcoming people in Durham. It’s a pretty amazing place and inside the Durham covered market, we found the Book Wyrm, an LQBTQ+ bookshop run by author Miles Nelson and their partner! So we had to buy many books from them, even though our suitcases were already pretty full…that is REALLY full.
Overall, the England trip was full of joy and inclusivity (common sign at church at left), despite the government’s recent ruling against puberty blockers for youth. It’s a small country and when the people protest (as they are), the government can’t ignore them.
Sounds like a great trip and how fun was it to go looking for all the queer culture. Glad you had a good time.