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The Sheffield gay scene part 2

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Once upon a time LGBT venues were places to meet other rainbow people.

 

Smartphone apps like Grindr are doing the job instead.

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I think one reason various bars fail so fast is they just offer the same environment, music and expensive drinks as every other venue. Why should the existing audience go looking for exactly the same somewhere else? I'd like to see a pub/cafe type venue with a musical palette that includes more alternative/guitar/electro for instance. This end of things is almost never catered for in the LGBT scene. Retro Bar in central London is a good model for what I'm thinking of.

 

Nothing to do with that. Its to do with poverty. Sheffield is a poor town, broke students does not a viable economy make! And as other people have said, with apps you can easily meet someone via Grindr for free.

 

The one and only draw of a gay venue, is meeting other gay people in a safe accepting environment. No one thinks hey I'll go to that gay venue because they play some wonderful electro music. Its different in London because the number of gays is 20x more - because the population is 20x bigger.

 

"Why should the existing audience go somewhere else?"

 

Well because if you consider Dempseys, it is dirty, has rude staff and is in the middle of nowhere. But despite those things, it still gets busy. Why? Because of critical mass of people still going there despite those things.

 

They aren't going for the wonderful different music, or the cleanliness lol, or the winning personality of the bouncers haha Its the crowd.

 

So what places like OMG do (did) is start off with cheap drinks, great location, nice and clean, friendly staff. And it started to work, that they pulled customers in there and they enjoyed months of being busy.

 

Then they get greedy! Drink prices go up and up, and customers get less and less. Remember the main reason for people to visit is other gay people. So people start to revert back to Dempseys, and next thing you know OMG will be gone. I doubt it will be here this time next year, hope I am wrong.

 

I know that some places reserve 1 or 2 days a week that are for the LBG community. That would probably be more viable as Sheffield struggles to maintain anything more than 2 venues for the LBG people.

 

The reason that doesnt work, is they pick the 2 days of the week that are quiet days for their business. For instance, the gay day wouldn't be Friday or Saturday, or student Wednesday. It will be Monday, or Thursday say. Days that no one wants to go out, days that their straight friends are not going out either. No one goes, and they forget it.

Edited by avalunche

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Once upon a time LGBT venues were places to meet other rainbow people.

 

Smartphone apps like Grindr are doing the job instead.

 

That's only if your only intent in meeting other 'rainbow people' is to have sex!

 

---------- Post added 30-07-2017 at 12:21 ----------

 

Nothing to do with that. Its to do with poverty. Sheffield is a poor town, broke students does not a viable economy make! And as other people have said, with apps you can easily meet someone via Grindr for free.

 

The one and only draw of a gay venue, is meeting other gay people in a safe accepting environment. No one thinks hey I'll go to that gay venue because they play some wonderful electro music. Its different in London because the number of gays is 20x more - because the population is 20x bigger.

 

"Why should the existing audience go somewhere else?"

 

Well because if you consider Dempseys, it is dirty, has rude staff and is in the middle of nowhere. But despite those things, it still gets busy. Why? Because of critical mass of people still going there despite those things.

 

They aren't going for the wonderful different music, or the cleanliness lol, or the winning personality of the bouncers haha Its the crowd.

 

So what places like OMG do (did) is start off with cheap drinks, great location, nice and clean, friendly staff. And it started to work, that they pulled customers in there and they enjoyed months of being busy.

 

Then they get greedy! Drink prices go up and up, and customers get less and less. Remember the main reason for people to visit is other gay people. So people start to revert back to Dempseys, and next thing you know OMG will be gone. I doubt it will be here this time next year, hope I am wrong.

 

 

 

The reason that doesnt work, is they pick the 2 days of the week that are quiet days for their business. For instance, the gay day wouldn't be Friday or Saturday, or student Wednesday. It will be Monday, or Thursday say. Days that no one wants to go out, days that their straight friends are not going out either. No one goes, and they forget it.

 

Dempseys is fairly dirty, but in the middle of nowhere - nonsense!

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I think you make a very good point. The gay scene in most places seems to concentrate on pubs / clubs. There should be space for something which isn't alcohol fuelled. I know that some places reserve 1 or 2 days a week that are for the LBG community. That would probably be more viable as Sheffield struggles to maintain anything more than 2 venues for the LBG people.

I remember years ago there used to be a project called the 'Shout Centre' in Sheffield, which was a community group facilitated by paid workers. But of course since the cutbacks, that's gone!

 

I agree about the non-alcoholic thing: we need an alternative to the cliche of queer hedonism. Didn't someone start a lunch club a while ago? Cafe environments would be good too.

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I agree about the non-alcoholic thing: we need an alternative to the cliche of queer hedonism. Didn't someone start a lunch club a while ago? Cafe environments would be good too.

 

I think so. Do you mean the café on the Moor, which occasionally puts on theatre performances

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That's only if your only intent in meeting other 'rainbow people' is to have sex!

 

No it's social too. There's plenty of guys on Grindr who are simply looking for mates/dates/friends... I would know :P

 

It's just the way things have evolved. Facebook & the dating apps is where people are making initial contact these days.

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Guest makapaka
The vast majority of venues are now welcoming of everyone irrespective of who they love. It really has become a non-issue.

 

Personally I find it encouraging that LGBT venues are closing down.

 

Society has come a long way. The days of being frogmarched out of a venue for showing affection to the same sex are long gone.

 

I would agree with this - surely it's a good thing that there is less separation. It's what the world needs.

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I would agree with this - surely it's a good thing that there is less separation. It's what the world needs.

 

I think the world needs less separation - but people should be able to get-together with 'like-minded' people in a safe space. It's okay for LGBT people to have their own venues, in the same way it's okay for Muslims or Quakers or beer lovers or motorbike enthusiasts or Yummy-Mummies, or whatever. It's okay to be different. We don't have to all go to the same places for society to be accepting.

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Guest makapaka
I think the world needs less separation - but people should be able to get-together with 'like-minded' people in a safe space. It's okay for LGBT people to have their own venues, in the same way it's okay for Muslims or Quakers or beer lovers or motorbike enthusiasts or Yummy-Mummies, or whatever. It's okay to be different. We don't have to all go to the same places for society to be accepting.

 

I agree with that. I can understand why people would like to be with like-minded people also.

 

I'm not against an LGBT bar or anything - but I don't think they're as necessary these days which is a good thing.

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The vast majority of venues are now welcoming of everyone irrespective of who they love. It really has become a non-issue.

 

Personally I find it encouraging that LGBT venues are closing down.

 

Society has come a long way. The days of being frogmarched out of a venue for showing affection to the same sex are long gone.

 

Perhaps some landlords are welcoming of LGBT people. Though I have to say I'd feel uncomfortable showing public affection to someone of my own sex in Weatherspoons of a Friday and Saturday night.

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No it's social too. There's plenty of guys on Grindr who are simply looking for mates/dates/friends... I would know :P

 

It's just the way things have evolved. Facebook & the dating apps is where people are making initial contact these days.

 

Yes I have noticed that too. Looking for friends.. topless and headless pic... sexual position on profile.

 

Its a sex-app. I wonder how many good friends you have found on there lol

 

Dempseys is fairly dirty, but in the middle of nowhere - nonsense!

 

Its over a 10 minute walk from West street according to google, and everything around it is closed and the area deserted at that time of night. Which is why they do a great taxi trade straight outside it! Feels totally unsafe.

Edited by avalunche

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Yes I have noticed that too. Looking for friends.. topless and headless pic... sexual position on profile.

 

Its a sex-app. I wonder how many good friends you have found on there lol

 

 

 

Its over a 10 minute walk from West street according to google, and everything around it is closed and the area deserted at that time of night. Which is why they do a great taxi trade straight outside it! Feels totally unsafe.

 

West Street is hardly safe!

Like I said earlier, the heyday of the Gay scene in Sheffield was the late '90s early '00s - when the gay scene was up Attercliffe. That was when it was worth going up Attercliffe to see your mates.

That said, Dempseys was never the cleanest of places, & it's been allowed to deteriorate even further.

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