A history of Birmingham's Gay Village
How Birmingham's LGBTQ+ scene grew into the Gay Village, told through dated, sourced milestones.
Timeline
- 1950sThe area is a small warehouse district, cut off from the rest of the city by the new Smallbrook Queensway.
- 1967The Sexual Offences Act partly decriminalises sex between men, the starting point for the village's growth.
- Late 1960sThe Nightingale opens as a members-only club, the start of the gay village.
- 1972Birmingham's Gay Liberation Front holds a rally in Cannon Hill Park, the first Gay Pride weekend in the city.
- 1976The Birmingham Gay Community Centre opens, described as the first official LGBTQ+ community centre in the UK.
- 1980sThe village expands as land east of Hurst Street is cleared for the Arcadian centre.
- 1997The first Birmingham Pride festival, with a street carnival, market and live music.
- 2002Equator opens in a former solarium.
- 2009The council approves a £530,000 environmental scheme for Hurst Street; Kent Street Baths are demolished.
- 2012A council-funded rhino sculpture replaces the painted-over 'Shout for Village Pride' mural.
- 2025Eden reopens on the corner of Gooch Street and Sherlock Street.
- 2026Birmingham LGBT opens its new purpose-built centre at 151 Hurst Street, and Pride organisers plan a free festival for the 30th anniversary in 2027.
Venues we remember
- Kent Street Baths: Public baths from 1851, rebuilt in 1933 and locally listed. Demolished in September 2009; the site became a car park
- DV8: A village club opened in 1999. Closed January 2011; building demolished in 2024
- Queer Street: A village bar opened in 2012. Closed late 2013
- Bar Jester: A long-running village bar. Closed 2019
- Boltz: A members-only men's club. Closed January 2025