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Has The Gay Scene Gone Up Its Own Arse?

Seb Dance has L.G.Been there, done that

The `scene' is nothing new. It's been around for centuries. Gay networks sprung up all over the place, as underground communities of gay men and women came together to express themselves and live their lives in the ways they saw fit. Some were known about by the authorities, most were even used by members of the establishment from time to time. Some people have always been gay, and gay people have always been able to meet together in houses, cellars, bars and clubs away from prying eyes. When they were busted they simply dispersed and either formed new networks, or joined existing ones (provided, of course, they were not among those unlucky enough to be caught). And so it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, without end. Amen.

Manchester has always been gripped by the scene. In fact, Manchester is the enviable host to Britain's first gay pub- the New Union. The area by the side of the canal has long been a focal point for gay workers, sailors and prostitutes because it was nicely tucked away behind the large imposing warehouses along the canal edge, and the Union was the notorious meeting point of all those social groups that would have caused the factory owners to choke on their snuff. In the deeply moralistic fifties women caught with condoms were charged with prostitution and men with Vaseline were imprisoned for gross indecency, and so the Union provided a place where the two could meet and exchange their bounty.

Just as the small Lancashire town of Manchester grew into the industrial powerhouse of the British Empire in a relatively short space of time, so the gay village has exploded from a couple of pubs to a whole district of the city in a space of about ten years. The gay village is now as identifiable an area of the city as Chinatown, The Northern Quarter and Castlefield. All over the country, towns and cities have their own identifiable gay scene: London, Brighton, Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and even towns like Guildford. Ten years ago, the very notion of a gay pub in a town smaller than, say, Bristol would have seemed ridiculous. But then, all of a sudden, it was OK to be gay- fashionable even. I wouldn't be so cynical to suggest that the single most effective progression in the gay rights movement in this country came with Michael Barrymore's admission of homosexuality (many grandmothers, middle aged housewives and the socially challenged might have taken a less stern view following this shocking revelation) but the late 80s and 90s saw an extraordinary increase in the number of people willing to accept homosexuals as equals.

The scene had arrived. Gone were the days of leather trousers and Poirot style moustaches (with apologies to current patrons of The Rembrandt)- we could now mince about the streets with confidence and an assurance that the police were on our side. The only thing that would force a mass exodus from the bar stools to the stage would no longer be a police raid, but yet another run of Oops... I Did it Again. The sense of liberation for those who can remember sexuality repression must be overwhelming, but with this new found freedom has come a remarkable degree of restrictions. Gay clubbing is not merely a Friday or Saturday night activity- it is a way of life. It is a religion which permeates into every aspect of gay culture from the spiky peroxide-infused hair to the peck-hugging Kylie top and eyebrow stud. Don't get me wrong; I'm not getting on my high horse here and having a go at people- I'm among the very first who will spring up at the mere mention of dear old Britney and commence my rather loose interpretations of her dance routines. But at what point does the range of experiences to be had whilst out on the scene exhaust itself? If I'm drunk enough, I can last a whole night. If I were to give a sober analysis, I'd say about five minutes.

"Camp pretty boys, drag queens, lecherous old perves and straight fag hags. That about sums it up", sighs Pete, a Second Year psychology student. "I find myself fancying gay people less and less and yearning after more, well, straight guys." The slight problem there is that the yearning is unlikely to go returned. Seeing as most of my gay friends would hardly fall into the categories stated above, it seems odd that all the scene has to offer is bland, camp, commercial pap. After all, pantomime, Butlins and boarding schools have been doing this for decades, and given the huge diversity of people who are gay (homosexuality, like hair colour, does not restrict itself to particular socio-economic groups), you might think that our pulling grounds might offer something more of a mixture. And it's not just Manchester, either. After only three years of milking the scene for all it's worth (G-A-Y, Heaven, and the infamous Ku Bar to name but a very few) I can confess that even the largest scene in Europe offers nothing more exciting than a bubble gum flavoured Steps lolly.

Where has the scene come from and how did it get here? Well, drag queens have always been a part. They are in the gay community because of the harsh fact that transsexuals and transgendered people have suffered the same amount of abuse and ill treatment over the years and have also come to symbolise the fact that the gay community refuses to be labelled by traditional moral constraints. Most people do not appear to have a problem with this aspect of gay culture. Instead the problem lies with the huge degree of conformacy and lack of originality which comes from the nature of the scene today. A scene which seems to encourage us to bitch about people we don‚t know or fancy and thereby we ignore the whole point having a separate culture to the mainstream, which is to embrace inclusivity and diversity. It seems that the scene itself has matured and become secure enough to harbour its own prejudices and definitions of what is acceptable and what is not.

So how do we get out of this rut? Is this the logical end of the LGB movement, or is it merely a phase to be passed, like shoulder pads, hot pants and (god willing) Pokebloodymon? The evidence is mixed and conflicting. It seems as though the fascination (or ignorant obsession) of the wider society with all things gay has run its course. It‚s no longer the `in thing'. Reactions to coming out have come full circle from "you‚re no son of mine" to "oh my god, that‚s wonderful"| to "what do you want- a medal?". Just as the factories, shipyards and warehouses of old industrial Manchester (just to keep up my analogy) closed down and laid waste to vast portions of the city it would appear that even Canal Street can't remain gay with an ever increasing number of straight bars and clubs forcing out gay bars which can no longer afford the rent. Stewart, a Second Year PMH student asserts that "the gay scene will move on, but for the moment this is all there is. It's just not been around for long enough to know anything else." But will it ever know anything else?

`It' can only be changed by individual people with a collective will at any rate, and hasn't the current state of affairs been brought about by our own efforts? For so long the LGB community has campaigned for separate areas where we can feel safe and practise our gayness away from the outside world. And one can certainly see the need for this- most of the civilised world may have come to terms with our existence, but there is a certain number of people out there who would waste no time in busting our collective ass back to the bad old days of repression and fear. But it remains a fact that the seeking of safe environment has led to a complete ghettoisation of where gay people go to hang out. It has also meant that places like Canal St on a Friday night become a weekly freak show for pissed up straight office workers who think they‚re being `open minded' and cultural. When they see what it is that we get up to whilst bitching about life, the universe and everything, it is perhaps not so surprising that many come away with a mixed understanding of what it is to be gay.

Oh how I wish this were a dissertation. I could introduce a theory at this point. `The Gay Paradox'. If we actively seek to prevent integration between `us' and `them' and close off the ghetto more and more, then we risk continuing in our closed little worlds continually being ruled by a culture which models itself on Eddie and Patsy from Ab Fab. If, however, was abolish any notion of separation then we risk losing our areas of safety and interdependence which are so important for there to be any sort of gay culture. After all, I am gay, and I wish to socialise with other people who are gay in a gay environment. Problem. There is only so far that the gay scene can go in the direction of integration, in order that we don't lose the ability to go somewhere where we can clearly identify ourselves and others as gay. I mean, there's a very real practical need for that.

Steve, a Third Year Economics and Social Policy student is straight, but has been out in the scene during the past two years with a number of gay mates from halls. His experience is that the scene is "easy going, relaxed and a place where you can be who you want to be." Way to go Steve, ruin my piece why don‚t you? "Gay people have less inhibitions, they go up and talk to new people much more easily. I've never felt threatened in any place in the village." If this is the case, then I really should stop moaning, clearly the scene has served its purpose. However, Steve is straight. The village may be enjoyable to him to dabble in and out of, but for a large number of gay people it‚s all there is- and it has definitely lost its appeal. London, Paris, Rome- it‚s all the same universal dross. There is hope however. There's a sign in Via Fossa which reads `Homos Lesbos Heteros. This is a non discrimatory zone.' Perhaps one day, gay clubs will open there doors and draw on the raft of differing experiences out there and we can move on. If my sexuality is to be defined by something other than Hear' Say and Christian Dior, then this is surely the only way.

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