Queer in Nottingham City

I’m never really sure how to explain Nottingham’s gay scene to anyone living outside the city. Arriving here in 2012 from rural Catholic Ireland, I often wondered if I missed the height of it. I heard there was a large choice of clubs and support networks years ago and I wondered if I would ever find any other queer women here. The scene seemed so fragmented, diverse and secretive, but stashed away there was choice.

As a female drag queen, I've settled into the DirtyFilthySexy crowd, the Fan Club safe spaces and – as a music obsessive – JT Soar events. The freedom to choose your queer experience is one of the reasons I love this city. There truly is something for everyone here. You just have to find it.

With that in mind, I decided to ask five Nottingham-based LGBTQIA+ people about their experiences here, and find out what their tips are for getting involved in the local scene as it exists today...

Liam
Queer demi male

I was born and raised in Derby but used to get the bus to Nottingham with a friend to hang out with other greb kids. In fact, my first boyfriend was from Nottingham.

I think I knew from about thirteen or fourteen that I wasn’t cishet.  The first time I really felt part of the community was at the Rose and Crown in Derby, where my two aunts took me under their wing; one was manager and the other a drag queen. I made some amazing friends and we would often have Sunday lunch together. I remember those days fondly.

My first impression of the Nottingham scene was us all travelling to NG1 for Poptastic every last Friday of the month, it was amazing. We’d have chips and cheese from the fast food place inside the club and the music was so much fun.  The city bars and clubs seemed safe. There was a feeling of community and friendship.

I first did drag aged seventeen which felt like a right of passage. When I was at college, I helped set up the LGBTQIAP+ youth group.  After living in London for a while, I came back to the area and moved to Nottingham.  I’d just been diagnosed as HIV positive so being closer to family felt like the right choice.

Now, I’m a member of the LGBTQIA+ Young Greens. I’m on the committee for Nottingham Green party and the Standing Orders and Procedures Committee for Young Greens. While they are not an LGBTQIA+ group, I am able to bring a queer experience to them and ensure our community voice is heard. I am also a member of a twelve-step support group and do the same there, ensuring the queer voice is recognised and heard in what can be cishet heavy environments.

When the trans community came together for Transgender Remembrance Day I was moved. There are pockets of support in Nottingham, you have just to know where to look for them. 

I would like to tell younger LGBTQIA+ persons that your life doesn’t need to be defined by a relationship with a partner or partners. Surround yourself with loving and supportive friends and they will become your family. You will come to love each and every one of them more then they will ever know.

My Top Five Places in Nottingham:
Bromley House Library
Broadway Cinema
Arboretum Park (especially in spring) 
Nottingham Contemporary
The Orange Tree

Thom, a.k.a. "Nana"
Nottingham’s premier bearded lady

Growing up, I visited family in Nottingham and as I lived in a small town of 2000 people in Scotland, it was always terribly exciting. I remember seeing people with piercings, tattoos and brightly coloured hair.  It made sense to move to Nottingham eventually.

My first impression of Nottingham’s gay scene was that it was all rather above my head as a little queer goth punk kid. I dismissed it until my late teens. There were plenty of queers and weirdos knocking about on the alternative scene so really I just stuck with places like Rock City, Nightmare and Obsessions. Later on, I became aware of places like NG1 and AD2 and gave them a try. But they never really tickled my fancy — nor my fanny for that matter.  A new monthly night called Magenta at Bunkers Hill became my little queer outing alongside the usual haunts.

I have a love/hate relationship with the scene sometimes.  I really enjoy the odd night at propaganda and the Forresters –  but have to be in the right mood.  I am forever biased towards the little queer collectives that are DirtyFilthySexy and Shady Cow, as it’s where I feel most at home. I love the people, the music and atmosphere. We could do with more venues and coming together a bit more frequently to support the smaller or newer ones and breathe a bit of life into them instead of allowing the scene to dissolve.

I am unashamedly part of the drag queen baby boom and was inspired by ‘’RuPaul’s Drag Race.’’ I have always been an entertainer, performer, writer and artist in various forms and drag is a medium where all these things meet.

My drag name was given to me by London drag queen, ‘’Cybil Wars.’’  After a heavy night, she likened me to a ‘’jittery old nana wondering where the next gin was coming from’’, which is why you will never catch me in a wig that isn't silver, grey or white. Eventually I became a resident at the best gay party in town - DirtyFilthySexy –  and ‘’Nana’’ really started to thrive.

She’s a cross between Ursula the Sea Witch, Linda LaHughes from Gimme Gimme Gimme and Nancy from The Craft. She’s ridiculous, rancid and beautiful. She can sing live, do stand up, produce music, lip-sync, host, act….You name it, she’s convinced herself she can do it.  

My Top Five Places in Nottingham: 
Broadway – for a film and a cuppa
The Angel – for a pint
Rough Trade – cool events
The Peacock – a vegan feast
Luvyababes – last minute drag supplies!

Ellen
Intersex and pansexual

Where I’m from in Lancashire, there isn’t anything much for the LGBT+ community. Then again, I didn't really go looking. I am a student at University of Nottingham, but I truly feel at home in Manchester in the delightful gay haven that is Canal Street. 

I identify as pansexual and intersex. Pansexuality means I don't feel attraction to one particular gender, but instead can feel attraction to any/all genders.  This doesn't mean I automatically fancy everyone, and has nothing to do with being attracted to kitchenware.

Intersex means that my physical expression of sex – ie. My 'bits' – don't align with my genetics — my chromosomes are technically XY but they malfunctioned in the womb so I appear physically female.  I have to be on constant HRT – hormone replacement therapy – in order for my body to function properly.

I never really came out properly –  I wasn't fully comfortable in my sexuality and still am not – until I got to uni. All my friends here are really accepting and diverse sexuality-wise – so there was no need for a big fanfare about it. It's very much something that just gets said in passing and no-one really minds. Plus, I've been in a straight relationship since before uni, so I haven't had much reason to play the field.

My first impression of the Nottingham LGBTQIAP+ scene has been really good. There seems to be quite a lot of emphasis on drinking and clubbing when it comes to LGBTQIAP+ spaces, but there is a lot of variety and choice. Everyone seems to be open and accepting  - or maybe I've just fallen in with the right crowds. It feels like there's a lot of love for the LGBTQIAP+ crowd in Notts.

That being said, there's always a need for more campaigning in support of the LGBTQIAP+ scene, and maybe a scheme that promotes different spaces, like restaurants, bars and clubs, as being accepting of LGBTQIAP+ patrons and not tolerating any hate shown towards them.

I would love to tell younger LGBTQIAP+ persons that those that matter don't care, and those who care don't matter. There are people out there who love you regardless of your gender identity or sexuality, and there are plenty of those people in Notts!

My Top Five Places in Nottingham:
Handmade Nottingham – I can easily spend far too much money here
White Rose – charity shops full of great fashion finds on a budget.
The Peacock – amazing food from a wonderful, 100% vegan pub! I love their macaroni burger.
Weir Field Recreation Ground – can't help but think that this would be a great place for a corn maze.
Hopkinsons – a great shop to pick up some amazing furniture and decor.