De-dyking Queer Space(s): Heterosexual Female Visibility in Gay and Lesbian Spaces

In this article I focus on research concerned with the commercial gay and lesbian scene of Newcastle upon Tyne, the ‘Pink Triangle’, demonstrating the effect of sexual identity and gender identity in the limiting of claims by lesbians to spatial inclusion in venues located in the city’s ‘gay scene’. The study suggests that the inclusion of heterosexual women into gay and lesbian identified venues and spaces, often through their relationship with gay men, is affecting issues of safety, comfort and inclusion/exclusion for lesbians and some gay men. Gay and lesbian identified venues are increasingly focused on the consumption of leisure experiences, where claiming a lesbian or gay identity is no longer sufficient in accessing such sites, with access to capital and the adoption of ‘mixed’ venue policies opening (once marginalized) gay and lesbian identified spaces to the female heterosexual consumer. Finally, the article considers what consequences such developments may have for contemporary understandings of spatial claims and identities in ‘gay spaces’.