A Walk on the Wild Side Through Queer London

Join Stephen on a live virtual presentation to explore Soho, one of the most diverse parts of London.

Soho has been a place for LGBTQ people since the 1800s and today it is the part of London which has the most queer friendly places.

When licensing laws limited pub hours, Soho was where you could get a drink at almost any time and it was the hang out of some fabulous queer characters, such as artist Francis Bacon, actress Tallulah Bankhead and raconteur and writer Quentin Crisp. There was even a secret language used by LGBTQ folk called Polari.

But there has always been a darker side. For example renown theatrical costume designer and wigmaker Willy Clarkson who had premises in Wardour Street had a lucrative side line in blackmailing gay men. And of course there is the downfall of writer Oscar Wilde who friendships with a young aristocrat and other young men lead to a sensational court case Another court case involved Fanny and Stella, two men who dressed as women in the late 1800s whose lives were tracked by police in order to take them to court.

Soho was also where some of the most famous music of the late 1960s and 1970s was recorded, much of which has a queer connection. "A Walk on the Wild Side" the quintiessential song about New York street life was actually recorded here in a Soho studio, as were the early albums by David Bowie and Queen.

Soho has so much to reveal, let Stephen take you on a walk on the wild side in London's queer Soho!