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Soho, renowned for its cultural diversity and status as a queer safe haven, has, much like most of London, undergone many changes and developments. Throughout its history, it has gone from a hunting ground to a slum, to an aristocratic residential area, and finally to a culturally diverse and queer space; not necessarily in that order. As a Caucasian male, I acknowledge that my perspective may not fully capture the impact of gentrification on other minority groups. I primarily explore the erosion of queer culture in Soho, while recognizing the interconnectedness of various minority issues. Soho has been a place for diversity for centuries, but is gentrification sifting the culture and queers out of Soho?
The definition of Gentrification according to the Cambridge dictionary is, “the process by which a place, especially part of a city, changes from being a poor area to a richer one, where people from the higher social class live.” Soho has borne witness to gentrification several times throughout its history, going from London's “Red Light district” to a tourist attraction within a few decades. The place once known for housing the “minority” groups of London is slowly becoming gentrified, with this shift bringing about a change in clientele, moving from a historically diverse population to a more affluent, less progressive one.
In this article I aim to investigate Soho’s transformation from an originally LBGTQ+ area into a predominantly heterosexual-centric space through the topics of gentrification and rising heteronormativity. It's not all doom and gloom though as I dive into the communities’ ability to traverse this landscape and attempt to hold onto Soho’s heritage through activism and legislation.
The Gentrification Wave in Soho:
Soho has experienced many waves of gentrification throughout its rich history, undergoing several changes in residents, developments, and frequent patrons. I want to emphasise the new era of gentrification in Soho while paying homage to the past. For a more in-depth overview, I found the Soho Heritage and Character Assessment 2018 to be a great resource for identifying the different centuries of change. However, it is crucial to mention that this piece of writing heavily glosses over the cultural significance of Soho to LGBTQ+ individuals and other minority groups.
Post World War II, the gentrification and increase of discrimination in Soho pushed LGBTQ+ individuals further out into West London, according to Alim Kheraj at the Londonist. The area still held queer significance but did not begin to flourish again until the 1980s. Throughout the 70s, Soho, London’s Red Light district, began to decay, stripping back a large amount of the clientele that frequented the streets. Even now, in the modern day, queer spaces have been pushed aside for London development plans and an increase in LGBTQ+ discrimination.
The Rise of Heteronormativity:
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and someone who frequents Soho regularly with my other queer friends, I too, have noticed the shift in demographics. Many friends have told me about the discrimination faced in bars that are supposed to be safe spaces, or on the streets of Soho. I, myself, have been a victim of abusive language outside of the late G-A-Y Late. I also believe that this has affected the demographic within the queer community. Famous clubs such as Heaven have been known, in recent decades, to discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals of certain gender identities as well as those of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. This is a topic entirely on its own, but definitely worth mentioning in reference to the clear gentrification in the area.
The gentrification of Soho is an ongoing problem that Alim Kheraj begins to cover in their article, “A History Of Soho's LGBTQ+ Bars.” As Kheraj clearly highlights, you cannot talk about the history of Soho without mentioning the clear gentrification and heteronormative direction that has been slowly seeping in for the last few decades. Kheraj mentions many historic bars that closed, including “Madame Jojos,” “Molly Moggs,” “Man bar,'' to name a few. All of which have either been closed permanently or reopened to generic bars, more suited to a heterosexual audience. Developments of the Elizabeth line saw entire queer historic buildings torn down, such as Ghetto, queer café First Out, and the Astoria. Unfortunately, these places are a piece of London’s queer history that I will never be able to explore.
Since Kheraj's article in 2022, Heaven has faced rumoured closures on several occasions, and the famous G-A-Y Late has closed its doors for good. The owner of G-A-Y Late, Jeremy Joseph, shared on social media that the reason for the closure was due to an increase in attacks on customers and staff, as well as building development and works in the area. A key point mentioned by Joseph that is worth mentioning is, “crime continues to be one of the biggest issues for LGBTQ+ venues, but even harder when you are a venue with no other venues around you.” In one compound sentence, Joseph highlights the clear gentrification and increased heteronormativity in a once queer area. The closure of G-A-Y Late was impactful across the whole community.
Community Responses and Activism: What’s next for the queers in Soho?
Is there a light at the end of this queer tunnel? Much like Kheraj mentions queers moving west, I believe we’re now spreading out across London, moving to more increasingly inclusive areas like Dalston, Vauxhall, and Clapham. Bars that have opened in more recent decades like Dalston Superstore, the Eagle, and ARCH. I feel safer in these spaces than I do in Soho now, having not bore witness to hate speech or discrimination thus far. This highlights the community's ability to persevere. As for trying to preserve Soho as a queer place, according to GAY TIMES, Heaven Nightclub has been granted special status as a “historic gay venue.” This is a step in the right direction. However, I believe we should take a note out of Germany’s book by making historic nightclubs, like Heaven, into cultural institutions with the same legal status as museums and opera houses. Despite the emphasis on LGBTQ+ Venues in this piece, it can be made evident that under the Tories’ neoliberalism/hyper-capitalist regime, the nightlife economy has deteriorated significantly; Gilles Peterson from the Guardian touches base on this topic under his article How can we save British nightlife from collapse? Look to Germany. This further protects the area from increased gentrification and also solidifies queer history.
In conclusion, despite the clear gentrification and rise in heteronormativity, Soho will always be known as somewhere of LGBTQ+ significance. If this piece highlights anything, it is the clear resilience and power the LGBTQ+ community holds. The current rise of heteronormativity is evident in discriminatory incidents within once-safe queer spaces and the closure of iconic LGBTQ+ venues. Despite setbacks, the LGBTQ+ community displays resilience by adapting and establishing new inclusive spaces across London. Initiatives like granting special status to historic LGBTQ+ venues, exemplified by Heaven Nightclub, offer a glimmer of hope in preserving the area's rich queer history. Soho, like much of London, will continue to be gentrified, and with it, an increase in heteronormativity. Ultimately, Soho's transformation may alter its demographics, but our community isn’t a location; it resides in our collective identity and mutual support for one another.
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