From the first practicing female doctor in Scotland, to the UK’s first same sex church wedding, uncover how LGBTQ+ people have shaped Edinburgh’s past, present and future.
In Edinburgh, as in any other part of Scotland, LGBTQ+ people have lived and worked in the city for centuries, and yet sometimes their stories are unknown, mainly because they felt compelled to shield their true identity from society. However, take a closer look and you’ll find a rich and complex history that has evolved over time.
While today Edinburgh is regarded as a welcoming and friendly LGBTQ+ city, it wasn’t always the case. Scotland’s legal and social treatment of LGBTQ+ people has dramatically shifted over the past century, with Edinburgh often at the centre of both repression and resistance. Homosexuality wasn’t decriminalised in Scotland until 1981 – 14 years after England and Wales, but queer life continued, often in the shadows.
Notable figures from Edinburgh’s past include poet, Robert Fergusson. In 1772, Fergusson became a member of the mysterious secret society, The Cape Club, which held nightly meetings in taverns in Edinburgh’s Old Town closes. Dr Sophia Jex-Blake devoted her life’s work to advancing the rights of women in medicine and was the first practicing doctor in Scotland. It was at her own medical school in the 1880s that she met Dr Margaret Todd, the two women living together until Sophia’s death in 1912, which – at the time – would have caused quite the scandal. Henry Stuart Lord Darnley, who lived in Edinburgh from 1556 and was a descendent of both James II of Scotland and Henry VII of England, is believed by many historians to have been either gay or bisexual and may have had a romantic affair with Mary, Queen of Scots’ private secretary, David Rizzio. Another LGBTQ+ historical figure, Dr James Barry studied in Edinburgh from 1809 to 1812 before joining the British Army as a surgeon. A pioneering doctor (he performed one of the first recorded successful caesarean sections) it was only on his death that it was discovered he was assigned female at birth.
To get more of an insight into Edinburgh’s LGBTQ+ history, we caught up with Hannah Mackay Tait from Scotland with Hannah, who runs Edinburgh walking tours exploring Scottish LGBTQ+ history.
As Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh has played a key role in shaping the country’s modern queer history. Although initially founded in Glasgow, the Scottish Minorities Group (SMG), Scotland’s first gay rights organisation, moved to the capital in the 1970’s. They launched the Edinburgh Gay Switchboard in 1972 and opened Scotland’s first Gay Centre on Broughton Street in 1975. They were also responsible for organising the first International Gay Rights Congress. In the 1980s and 90s “because Edinburgh was unfortunately hit especially hard by HIV and Aids, we also had pioneering groups like Waverley Care working with Aids patients of all sexual orientations”. In 1988, Lark in the Park was held at the Ross Bandstand. As Hannah explains, “the event was to protest Section 28, Thatcher’s “don’t say gay” law, and it was the first major gay rights event to take place publicly in Scotland”. The 1980s also saw Lavender Menace, Scotland’s first LGBT bookshop open in the city, and the setting up of the Stonewall Youth Project (now LGBT Youth Scotland). In 1995 Edinburgh hosted Scotland’s first Pride march – Pride Edinburgh is now a yearly event that is now a much-loved staple in the city’s events calendar.
In terms of particular neighbourhoods that hold significance, Hannah points out that “from the earliest days of public queer activism in Edinburgh – and even as long ago as the 1920s and 30s, Broughton Street and the surrounding area was the city’s “pink triangle” and the heart of the community. By the 1980s it was lined with queer venues, from cafes and bars to Lavender Menace, and was a hub for activist and social life”.
But the city’s earliest LGBTQ+ social spaces were also seen across the city. Between 1918 to 1939 “there were several nightclubs in Edinburgh that tolerated gay customers, such as Kosmo’s near Picardy Place and Maxime’s at Tollcross – they weren’t exclusively queer venues, but were raided by police because of their permissive vibe”. In the 1950s “some local pubs were known as discreet meeting places for gay men, including the Kenilworth and Robertson’s on Rose Street”, while in the early 1970s the afore-mentioned SMG ran regular gay discos in what is now part of Virgin Hotel on Victoria Street.
When asked if there any figures from Edinburgh’s history whose contributions within the LGBTQ+ community are often overlooked, Hannah muses “I think they’re less overlooked than they used to be, but Sigrid Nielsen and Bob Orr of Lavender Menace deserve huge credit for their work bringing queer literature to Scotland. The Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive grew out of their original shop and is still doing great work to uncover and preserve queer history today”. And a part that she think deserves more attention or recognition? – “I wish there was more understanding of our trans history. Trans people were present and involved at every stage of Scotland’s queer history, and I wish that was better known and understood”.
Looking to the present, and the role Edinburgh’s arts scene plays in LGBTQ+ visibility, Hannah says “I think the Festival has always had a role to play. Every year, we have an opportunity to see artists making amazing, subversive work and highlighting new queer voices”. She also highlights Traverse Theatre, which “has always done great work to uplift queer voices year round and create a space where queer and trans people can be safe”.
As for her favourite local queer places, she lists “the vibe at Paradise Palms”, alongside Lighthouse Bookshop: “it’s not exclusively a queer bookshop, rather a radical bookshop, but they have an amazing selection of books and run some brilliant events”. And finally, when prompted for her must-see events on Edinburgh’s queer culture calendar, as well as Edinburgh Pride, she says “if you love arts and culture I’d have to say the whole month of August! There’s always incredible queer work at the Edinburgh Fringe, from homegrown and international artists, from first shows to swansongs”.
Explore LGBTQ+ Edinburgh. From lively clubs to creative art spaces, discover Edinburgh’s vibrant and welcoming LGBTQ+ scene. LGBTQ+ Edinburgh guide.
This project is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
