Brighton and Hove, for decades England’s unofficial gay capital, can now wear the official crown. One in 10 people aged over 16 in the city identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or “other sexual orientation” in the 2021 census. It was exactly in line with the decades-old estimates based on the works of the 1940s US professor Alfred Kinsey who contended homosexuality was far more widespread than officialdom admitted.
By contrast, the district of Rochford in Essex was shown as the straightest place in England. Only 1.6% of the population there said they were LGB+, suggesting that those living in the largely rural, somewhat conservative area near Southend-on-Sea are six times less likely to be gay than those in Brighton and Hove. People in Rochford were also four times less likely to say they were transgender or non-binary than those in the East Sussex city.
Hmm. Possible reasons?
Perhaps people move to places where they feel more comfortable.
Or even, move to places where more is possible?
True, there are solitary pleasures but human sexuality does, often enough, attempt to include another participant. So, given the prominence of sex in human life it’s not all that odd that folk might move to where they’re more likely to find another participant given their specific desires and pleasures.
Same reason you build a pottery in Stoke on Trent, a bank in The City and a non-ferrous metals business in Rotherham or Sheffield. Because everyone else doing the same thing is in those places.
Looking for a date, go on Tinder or – for more specialist tastes – Grindr where there are all those other people looking for a date.
This really isn’t rocket science. For, of course, if there’s a move to then there must be a move away. A proof of this would be to survey Brighton again and find out how many came from Rochford……
The really interesting question is how many move there because they want Caroline Lucas as their MP.
So the place in the UK with most gays is “exactly in line with the decades-old estimates based on the works of the 1940s US professor Alfred Kinsey”?
Um, no it isn’t, because he estimated 10% was the average. Which is the opposite of “exactly in line”.
Does this information about Southend mean that Jack Monroe was thr only gay in the village ?
I would have thought the gayers would be keen on the south end.
Is there something innate about Brighton that made it the gay mecca (are we allowed to say that), or did clustering just happen for no particular reason? For example the potteries in Stoke began because there was plentiful clay nearby; the steel is in Sheffield because it was near the coal mines. What did Brighton have?
Ah Grindr. As of November 2022, a company quoted on the US Stock exchange. So you can get in on some of the cock and bum fun action through your investment account.
Assuming 10% for Brighton is reasonably accurate, and bearing in mind that self-identification is hardly going to suppress the true figure, that means the widely-quoted 3% of alphabets across the entire population should be taken with a huge pinch of salt.
What about that village in Yorkshire with all the muff-divers?
“Is there something innate about Brighton that made it the gay mecca (are we allowed to say that), or did clustering just happen for no particular reason?”
Judging from Google Maps… Beach and presumably resultant party scene. Possibly aided by venue owners that recognise a crowd willing to spend and do not particularly care about Public Morals and Stuff, or are themselves of the bumknight persuasion.
Get a reputation for The Place to Be, and it’ll snowball into its own contained little economy.
Bit like the Pink District in Amsterdam, and resultant: Zandvoort beach, 30 mins from Amsterdam.
Hebden Bridge: 83% straight, 9% gay&lesbian.
“Is there something innate about Brighton that made it the gay mecca (are we allowed to say that), or did clustering just happen for no particular reason?”
Back in the nineties it had a crap reputation – lots of junkies, needles, etc. Is that a natural course of events?
“Hebden Bridge: 83% straight, 9% gay&lesbian”
…and the other 8%?
“Hebden Bridge: 83% straight, 9% gay&lesbian”
…and the other 8%?
Jedi knights.