Timeline of LGBT+ History for Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire
Year 2000 – Present Day
The new millennium brought rapid advancement in progress towards equal rights, including an equal age of consent and legal recognition of same sex partnerships. Staffordshire Police, put the past behind them achieving a Stonewall award in 2006. Stoke-on-Trent held it’s first Pride which has since gone from strength to strength. Pride events in other areas have followed since. Read more about the modern era below.
2001 - An Equal Age of Consent
The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 implemented an equal age of consent of 16 years of age for males and females engaged in both homosexual and heterosexual acts. The change took effect on 8 January 2001.
2003 - Stoke Pride Cancelled
The North Staffs Lesbian and Gay Community Forum had attempted to organise Stoke’s first Pride event back in 1998. In 2003 community members made another attempt to organise a local Pride event but this was cancelled due to fears of a homophobic backlash following opposition from local residents and BNP Councillors. Organisers were even targeted with death threats. Read more…
2003 - Space LGBTQ Youth Group Launches in Lichfield
In 2003 the Staffordshire Buddies Mesmen project piloted a new group for young LGBT people called SPACE, which had financial support from the Local Network Fund for Children & Young People. SPACE LGBTQ youth groups initially met at Mesmen premises in Lichfield and at Swinfen Hall Young Offenders Institute. In January 2006 a new SPACE group was launched in conjunction with Burton College. See this post about the Mesmen project to read more about Space youth groups.
2004 - True Vision Campaign
“True Vision” was officially launched in Lichfield in May 2004 as a campaign to encourage wider reporting of hate crimes related to race, religion, or lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender identities. When Staffordshire Police started the scheme it had already been adopted by 36 out of the 43 police forces in the country. Read more…
2005 - LGBT Network
The LGBT Network aimed to create a forum that could support the local LGBT community and provide a united voice for agencies to consult and respond to needs and concerns. The network helped launch and support a number of community led support groups and other services. The LGBT Network became a formally constituted organisation in 2005 and registered as a charity in 2010 which is also the year that it established the Polari Lounge. The LGBT Network and The Polari Lounge both ceased to operate in 2013. Read more…
2006 - The First Stoke Pride
A Stoke Pride event planned in 2003 had been cancelled due to fears of a homophobic backlash following opposition from local residents and BNP Councillors. Despite the hostility various events were organised by community activists in the years that followed until in 2006 The Club and Three Tuns along with other established venues hosted the “Big Pink Car Park” event. This was the first event that could properly be called Stoke Pride. Read more…
2005 - Civil Partnerships Begin
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 gave legal recognition to a relationship between two people of the same sex conferring almost all the same rights and responsibilities as civil marriage. The first civil partnerships were formed in December 2005. The legislation was updated in 2019 to allow heterosexuals to form Civil Partnerships. Read local news articles from 2006…
2006 - Pink
Pink is an award winning club and cabaret bar that opened in 2006 and moved to its current site in Stafford Street, Hanley, in 2012
2006 - Staffordshire Police most "Gay Friendly" employer in Britain
In 2006 Staffordshire Police were recognised by Stonewall as being the most “gay friendly” employer in Britain. This accolade was remarkable given the local police force’s past poor relations with the LGBT community. The force now has a “Staffordshire Police LGBT+ Association” and runs local campaigns combatting hate crime against the LGBT+ community.
2008 - Inferno Gay Sauna
Inferno was Stoke’s first gay sauna – an openly gay venue that was clearly and unambiguously promoted as a place where men could meet for sex. It was based in Garth Street in close proximity to The Club and opened around 2008. The company wound up some time in early 2012. Read more about the history of gay saunas…
2009 - The North Midlands LGBT Older Peoples Group
In December 2009 A group of older LGBT+ people held the first meeting of what was later to become the North Midlands LGBT Older People’s Group. In December 2024 we Celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the group’s first meeting. As part of these celebrations we created a book and a short video commemorating the fifteen year history of our group. Read more…
2010 - The Polari Lounge
The LGBT Network successfully secured funding from the Robbie Williams ‘Give it sum’ charity and the Staffordshire Foundation. A proportion of this funding was ring fenced to establish a new Gay and Lesbian drop-in Centre in the City Centre. Premises were secured in Hanley and The “Polari Lounge” opened for business in 2010. Read more…
2012 - Disregards and Pardons Scheme
The Disregards and Pardons scheme was introduced to allow men to apply for certain historical convictions for same-sex sexual activity to be disregarded or pardoned. These offences are buggery, gross indecency and procuring others to commit homosexual acts. The activity must have been consensual, with a person aged 17 or over and must not be an offence today. Sexual activity in a public toilet is not eligible, as it is still an offence. In 2023 the scheme was extended to include women.
2013 - Posthumous Pardon for Alan Turing
Computer pioneer and codebreaker Alan Turing was given a posthumous royal pardon for his 1952 conviction for gross indecency. He had been arrested after having an affair with a 19-year-old Manchester man. The pardon was granted under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy after a request by Justice Minister Chris Grayling.
2013 - L-Fest in Uttoxeter
L-Fest is an annual festival for women who like women. It was founded in 2008 by Cindy Edwards as a mini festival held at her farm on the Welsh borders. The festival moved to Shrewsbury Showground in 2011 1nd 2012 before having a four year run at Uttoxeter Racecourse from 2013-2016. This video features L-Fest in Uttoxeter in 2014
2014 - Gossip
Hanley nightclub “Gossip” opened at 5 Hope Street after the closing of the Factory nightclub on Bryan Street. It is run by Carl and Dominic Gratty of Stoke-on-Trent Pride.
2016 - Trans Staffordshire
Soon after the launch of the LGBT Network in 2005, Sanctuary Stoke & Staffordshire was set up in partnership with Gender Matters & Staffordshire Police to support people who are Transgender in Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire. In 2016 the decision was made to rename the group as Trans-Staffordshire. Read more…
2017 - "Turing's Law"
The Policing and Crime Act 2017 introduced provisions for posthumous pardons for individuals convicted of certain abolished same-sex sexual offenses. This is informally known as “Turing’s Law”.
2023 - B Arts Queer As Stoke Project
Queer-as-Stoke began as an idea for a map of Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area, locating places and stories of LGBTQIA+ significance. As the project evolved it became clear that not all stories could be pinpointed on a map. Find out more…
2023 - UK Government Pardons Women's Historic Convictions for Homosexual Offences
The Disregards and Pardons Scheme, launched in England an Wales in 2012, initially applied only to men and specified offences. In June 2023 the scheme was extended to allow applications from anyone convicted or cautioned under former laws related to same-sex activity. This has allowed lesbian women convicted for same sex love in military service to ask for these convictions to be removed. Read more on Gov.uk
2024 - First Stafford Pride
The first ever Stafford Pride was held on Saturday 10th August 2024. The weather was kind and it was a fabulous success; well done to the organisers and everyone who supported this historic day. Members of the North Midlands LGBT+ Older Peoples Group took part in the parade, view our photo gallery…
2025 - First Pride in the Moorlands
The first ever Pride in the Moorlands took place over three days in June 2025, with a Pride Torch Relay that started in Cheadle on Friday and travelled via Tean, Waterhouses, Biddulph, and Endon to arrive in Leek for a big celebration on Sunday where Members of the North Midlands LGBT+ Older Peoples Group took part in the parade and had a stall in the marketplace. view our photo gallery…
2025 - National Memorial for LGBT+ Armed Forces
In April 2024 national news reported that The UK’s first memorial for LGBTQ+ armed forces personnel is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The government has put £350,000 towards the project, which was one of 49 recommendations of an independent review into the historical treatment of people who were sacked or forced out of the military for being LGBTQ+. The winning design was announced in January 2025 and the memorial is expected to be unveiled by the end of the year. Read more on Fighting With Pride
Our timeline is a work in progress, we need your help!
We want to create a record of the important people, places, organisations and events that are part of our history. We would love to receive your memories and recollections – please send us details of anything that we can include.
Our history is important, lets make sure it’s not hidden or forgotten!
