BREAKING NEWS

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Queer Quarter for Leeds?

Interesting to see that Pink News is reporting on a campaign in Leeds to create a 'gay quarter'. The move apparently follows attempts to clearly establish a gay village in Liverpool. Followers of the Liverpool development might recall that it was in turn inspired by the Manchester gay village and proposals for development in Liverpool have been rumbling along for years. As with Liverpool, the creation of a queer space post Queer as Folk is symbolic of a progressive urban habitat. The possession of such spaces is a useful marketing technique and can hep re-position the city brand. It's therefore interesting to see that this seems a 'grass roots' campaign in Leeds, and not one coming from city officials or marketing consultants.

Nonetheless, gay campaigners are using the same the arguments. I'd be interested in hearing what really motivates people into this campaign. Is it merely as they say about making Leeds more welcoming, if so why choose this method. If it's something else, what?

The extension and creation of new queer spaces in our apparently transformed socio-legal culture suggests that these spaces continue to carry out a vital function(s), although whether that is the same function(s) as earlier queer space is something worthy of debate.

There's more on gayleeds.com

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Elly said...

'Gay Leeds' sounds funny, as if they are saying Leeds Is Gay. (or ghey).

I actually can't think why Leeds needs a gay quarter when it has such great areas to hang out in.

Maybe they just want to be Manchester. I have always thought that about Leeds.

 
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