Glasgow LGBT Centre
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow LGBT Centre was a lesbian
, gay
, bisexual, and transgender
community centre located at 84 Bell Street, Glasgow G1 1LQ. It was fully wheelchair-accessible, with a chairlift. It closed in April 2009, following withdrawal of funding from Glasgow City Council. This is turn was caused by reported concerns (unfounded, the Centre Board and AGM claim, and yet to be substantiated) of mismanagement.
On 17 March 1991, the first ceilidh
was held to raise funds for and awareness of the planned Centre, and this has since become an annual event. Other funding was received from sources such as Strathclyde Regional Social Strategy, Strathclyde Lesbigay Forum, and the Glasgow Development Agency. The chairlift was funded by a grant from Glasgow District Council.
The Centre (then called Glasgow Gay and Lesbian Centre) was opened at premises in Dixon Street (just off St Enoch Square) on November 4, 1995. The building was converted from a file store for the Procurator Fiscal
. The opening was attended by politicians George Galloway
, Maria Fyfe
, Mike Watson
, and Bill Miller
: also by singer Horse
and poet Edwin Morgan, who read a poem specially written to mark the opening. The centre then closed for several months to allow building to continue, and was formally opened on March 20, 1996 by Joyce Keller
, Mayor
of Manchester
.
The old Centre included a cafe/bar, four offices which were rented to LGBT-friendly businesses, and two meeting rooms called the Jackie Forster
Memorial Room and the Ian Dunn
Memorial Room. It was regularly used by many LGBT community groups for meetings and events.
In 2008, the Centre took the controversial step of banning ScotsGay
magazine from its premises on the grounds that its adult content is incompatible with the Centre's status as a family-friendly venue.
In 2008, the Centre moved to new premises in Bell Street, Glasgow.
In 2010, the Centre, named Castro, was locked out of its premises in Bell Street after it emerged that the centre had serious financial irregularities.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
community centre located at 84 Bell Street, Glasgow G1 1LQ. It was fully wheelchair-accessible, with a chairlift. It closed in April 2009, following withdrawal of funding from Glasgow City Council. This is turn was caused by reported concerns (unfounded, the Centre Board and AGM claim, and yet to be substantiated) of mismanagement.
On 17 March 1991, the first ceilidh
Céilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
was held to raise funds for and awareness of the planned Centre, and this has since become an annual event. Other funding was received from sources such as Strathclyde Regional Social Strategy, Strathclyde Lesbigay Forum, and the Glasgow Development Agency. The chairlift was funded by a grant from Glasgow District Council.
The Centre (then called Glasgow Gay and Lesbian Centre) was opened at premises in Dixon Street (just off St Enoch Square) on November 4, 1995. The building was converted from a file store for the Procurator Fiscal
Procurator Fiscal
A procurator fiscal is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They investigate all sudden and suspicious deaths in Scotland , conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries and handle criminal complaints against the police A procurator fiscal (pl. procurators fiscal) is a public prosecutor in Scotland. They...
. The opening was attended by politicians George Galloway
George Galloway
George Galloway is a British politician, author, journalist and broadcaster who was a Member of Parliament from 1987 to 2010. He was formerly an MP for the Labour Party, first for Glasgow Hillhead and later for Glasgow Kelvin, before his expulsion from the party in October 2003, the same year...
, Maria Fyfe
Maria Fyfe
Maria Fyfe is a politician in the United Kingdom and former Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill.-Early life:Born Maria O'Neill on 25 November 1938 to James O’Neill and Margaret Lacey, she became a member of the Labour Party in 1960. She came to education relatively later in life, studying...
, Mike Watson
Mike Watson
Michael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie, known as Mike Watson, is a former British Labour Party politician...
, and Bill Miller
Bill Miller (Scotland)
Bill Miller , is a former Labour MEP representing Scotland.-Personal life:Miller was brought up in Gartocharn and was educated at Paisley Technical College and Kingston Polytechnic...
: also by singer Horse
Horse (musician)
Horse is a Scottish female singer-songwriter. She has a wide following in the United Kingdom, including many lesbian fans, has toured with Tina Turner and secured several record chart hits in Europe...
and poet Edwin Morgan, who read a poem specially written to mark the opening. The centre then closed for several months to allow building to continue, and was formally opened on March 20, 1996 by Joyce Keller
Joyce Keller
Joyce Elaine Keller is an American television and radio host, author, and psychic medium. She has hosted a live radio show The Joyce Keller Show since 1989 on New York's WGBB...
, Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
The old Centre included a cafe/bar, four offices which were rented to LGBT-friendly businesses, and two meeting rooms called the Jackie Forster
Jackie Forster
Jackie Forster was born 6 November 1926 and died in London on 10 October 1998. She married her novelist husband, Peter Forster in 1958 while she worked as a TV presenter and news reporter, but divorced him in 1962 when she realised her true sexual identity...
Memorial Room and the Ian Dunn
Ian Campbell Dunn
Ian Campbell Dunn was a gay rights campaigner who lived and worked in Scotland.-Life and career:Dunn began his work in gay rights activism after finding that the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which partially decriminalized homosexual relations between adult men, applied only to England and Wales and...
Memorial Room. It was regularly used by many LGBT community groups for meetings and events.
In 2008, the Centre took the controversial step of banning ScotsGay
Scotsgay
ScotsGay Magazine is a monthly magazine published in Scotland for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Its website carries textfiles of all issues and, since 2005, pdf files of the whole magazine....
magazine from its premises on the grounds that its adult content is incompatible with the Centre's status as a family-friendly venue.
In 2008, the Centre moved to new premises in Bell Street, Glasgow.
In 2010, the Centre, named Castro, was locked out of its premises in Bell Street after it emerged that the centre had serious financial irregularities.