01/03/2026
Fife LGBT History - A Celebration
Our Past, our History, our Future.
Note: This is a work in progress. This is not a complete list of dates and LGBT Organisations based in Fife. If you have any memories or information you would like to share then please get in touch. Included are a few historical, national and international dates, as these dates mark significant dates / event, in LGBT History.
1970/1980: Anthony's Hotel in Kirkcaldy was a prominent venue for dinner dances, functions, and live entertainment, particularly active during the 1970s and 1980s.
• Venue Background: Anthony's Hotel was a well-known spot in Kirkcaldy, often advertised in the Fife Free Press during the 1970s and early 1980s.
• 1972 Anthony’s Renovation: In 1972, the hotel received a new look and was a popular spot for nightlife.
• 1980s Activity: By the early 1980s, Anthony’s was still featured, with records showing it hosting events and Christmas lunches around 1982.
The hotel was eventually demolished and replaced by a care home. The specific "gay disco" branding likely occurred during the height of the town's disco scene in the late 70s or early 80s, which included other popular spots like The Dutch Mill, The Bronx, and later, Bentleys.
1972: Pride March London, 1 July 1972. First Pride March in UK.
1972: SMG (Scottish Minorities Group) launches Edinburgh Gay Switchboard.
1972: London Friend, the UK's oldest le***an, gay, bisexual, and trans charity, was established in 1972.
• Origin: It began as an offshoot of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) before becoming an independent registered charity.
• Purpose: It was created to provide counseling, support, and social opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community.
• Context: Throughout the 1970s, London Friend operated as a vital support system, later launching specific services like the TV/TS (Transvestite/Transsexual) group in the 1980s.
The organisation celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.
1974: Edinburgh LGBT Switchboard kicked off in January 1974. It was actually the first gay helpline in Scotland - when it started its helpline in March of that year, 1974.
Initially, it was based in a flat belonging to Nicholas Atkinson in Edinburgh.
After Nicholas Atkinson's flat, the Edinburgh LGBT Switchboard first moved to 24 Broughton Street. Later, in 2008, they relocated to a building on Howe Street, and then in 2020, they moved to their current location at 9 Howe Street. This is still the hub for their services.
1975: Scotlands first Gay Centre Opens at 60 Broughton Street. Edinburgh.
1980 >
1982: ‘Lavender Menace’ first LGBT Bookshop opens on Forth St. Edinburgh.
Lavender Menace was Scotland's first le***an and gay community bookshop, opened in Edinburgh in 1982 by Sigrid Nielsen and Bob Orr. It served as a vital cultural hub, later transitioning into West & Wilde in the 1990s. Today, it is revived as the Lavender Menace Q***r Books Archive.
1989: Fife Friend, a telephone helpline for the le***an and gay community, started in 1989.
• Origin: The service was created to offer support and conversation to the LGBTQ+ community in Fife.
• Media Coverage: In 1989, the Fife Free Press accepted the initial advertisement for the service, which read: "le***an and gay, want to talk? Call Fife Friend".
• Context: At the time of its founding, it faced challenges with other local media, specifically The Courier, which refused to run advertisements for the service.
1989: Fife Friend (additional information).
Based on historical accounts, Fife Friend (often referred to as Fife Friend or in the context of the wider "Friend" network) was an active, volunteer-led organisation providing crucial support to LGBTQ+ people in Fife, Scotland, particularly during the 1980s.
Here are the key details regarding this support:
Established: The service was set up by a young man in Kirkcaldy. It acted as a crucial, early safe space in a region where few or no other services existed for the gay community.
Helpline & Befriending: The core of the service was a confidential phone helpline located in a private home to offer advice, support, and to combat isolation.
Social Support: In addition to the helpline, Fife Friend organised safe spaces for people to meet, including meetings in cafes and social discos.
"Chumming" Service: Volunteers offered to accompany (or "chum") individuals to events to ensure they felt safe and supported.
Context: This work took place during a challenging period when male homosexual acts were only decriminalised in Scotland in 1981 (effective February 1981), and the age of consent remained higher than for heterosexuals.
This, along with other groups like the Scottish Minorities Group (SMG) and Lothian Gay and Le***an Switchboard, helped break the isolation of LGBTQ+ people in Fife.
1989: Stonewall Youth Project is set up in Edinburgh. They go on to become LGBT Youth Scotland.
1990 >
1990: Edwin Morgan, Scottish author and poet comes out at age 70.
1995: Glasgow LGBT Centre is opened on 4 November, Dixon Street.
1995: Scotlands First Pride Event takes place in Edinburgh, 17 June, 1995.
1996: Scotlands Second Pride Event takes place in Glasgow, 22 June, 1996.
2000 >
2003: LGBTQ+ Health Project Launch in 2003.
2010 >
Note: Early LGBTQ+ groups and initiatives in Fife, Scotland, have focused on establishing community spaces, support networks, and visibility in a region that historically lacked dedicated, permanent venues.
A few early groups in Fife:
Fife Free Le***an And Gay Society (Fife FLAGS): An early organization that held meetings on Monday evenings in Dunfermline.
The Flavours of Fife: A dedicated LGBT youth group based in Kirkcaldy for individuals aged 13–18.
Transgender Fife: A support group formed with initial funding from LGBT Health & Wellbeing in Edinburgh, offering a safe, alcohol-free space for the transgender community, with meetings alternating between Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy.
Pink Saltire: Established around 2014 as a local charity to improve representation and visibility for LGBT people, later launching "The Hive" in 2022.
Connexons LGBT Fife: A social group for adults (18+) that met fortnightly on Monday evenings, originally associated with Pink Saltire at The Hive.
2015: Pink Saltire, a prominent LGBTQ+ charity, was established in Fife around 2015 to provide a dedicated voice and support for the community.
2016 April - St. Andrew’s Pride Parade.
First Local Action: While Fife Pride began in 2017, the area saw earlier, smaller-scale LGBTQ+ activism, such as the St. Andrews Pride parade which began in April 2016.
2017: Fife Pride is formed.
Fife Pride was formed in 2017 as a partnership between several local organizations aimed at improving services, representation, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community across the Kingdom of Fife.
Partnership and Structure:
Fife Pride was established by a collective of community and voluntary organizations, including Fife Council, Fife Centre for Equalities, Fife Voluntary Action, Fife Cultural Trust, and The Hive.
2017: Inaugural Fife Event (2017): The first official Fife Pride Event was held on Saturday, July 1, 2017, in Kirkcaldy. The event was a significant milestone for the area, featuring a parade and a celebration of equality and diversity.
Evolution: While the first Pride in 2017 was heavily focused on a "proud to be me" theme to increase visibility, it quickly grew into a, broader celebration of diversity.
Regional Impact: The inaugural 2017 event was noted for being a major, visible change for Kirkcaldy, which was previously described as lacking visible LGBT+ spaces.
2020 >
2022: the HIVE Kirkcaldy is launched.
2022: Fife Pride Event and March, Saturday 17 September, in Kirkcaldy.
2023: Fife Pride Event and March, Saturday 1 July, in Kirkcaldy.
2024: February, 50+ LGBTQ+ Social Group formed @ the HIVE.
