In 1920s London, homosexual acts between men were illegal. Although lesbianism was not subject to legal restriction, it was nonetheless frowned upon.
Despite these individuals facing stigma, isolation and even medical intervention, there was a visible gay scene in interwar years, with jazz venues and theatre’s, especially providing liberating spaces for gay men and women
Two recognisable names who were key voices in the London theatre world around this time were Ivor Novello and Noel Coward.
Novello, whose homosexuality was an open secret, was a Welsh songwriter and actor who performed in Noel Coward’s play “The Vortex” 1928, depicting a man’s cocaine habit.
This was seen by many critics as a coded reference for homosexuality. It pushed the moral boundaries of the time, and was only just permitted through the censor,
Although Noël Coward never publicly came out of the closet, he wrote the famous 1932 song “Mad About the Boy”, but due to the risqué nature of the song, it was only made famous when sung by a woman, Dina Washington, in 1961.
Underground LGBT social venues also started to pop up in the city, and the Hotel de France pub was one of them, which opened underneath Charing Cross station in 1925, but it was soon raided for being deemed a notorious homosexual hangout by the police.
You may have heard of the club which operates on the site today, “Heaven” running since 1979.
The interwar years also saw the rise of jazz in London, when many young people simply wanted to drink, dance and be merry in reaction to the trauma of World War One.
This genre was one of the catalyst for and response to social change.
The scene thrived in both the centre as well as in the suburbs, with help from the transport revolution, which increased mixing between the wealthy and workers.
Jazz originated in New Orleans, challenged concepts not
just of class but also of race and sexuality.
Venues such as “Ciro's” nightclub hosted African American jazz musicians such as Noble Cecil and Sidney Bechet, and some clubs were opened for more socially and racially mixed crowds.
Jazz crossed boundaries, that were uncomfortable to many at the time, and provided much more than just a dancing floor, but a more liberated scene which saw a growing movement of the form.
Despite the economic impacts of the Wall Street crash across the world in 1929, Gay clubs still thrived in 1930s London.
“The Gateways” club opened in Chelsea in 1936, where gay men and lesbians could meet, as well as black clients, who had been discriminated against elsewhere.
The “Shim Sham Club” in Soho was a venue where Pan-africanism and anti-fascist meetings took place, adding a political element to a club already known for its liberal attitudes towards race and sex.
Unfortunately, many of the descriptions of the gay scene at the time are taken from reports of police rates and punishments.
“The Caravan Club” and the “Running Horse Pub" were both under police surveillance in the 30s. Police criteria to determine homosexuality in order to arrest included men wearing makeup, acting in what they deemed an effeminate way, or women with short hair, wearing so-called masculine clothing such as ties.
Most clubs were raided by the Public Morality Council, and the landlord of “The Running Horse” was prosecuted and the pub shut down in 1937.
Meeting others through coded adverts in magazines was considered less risky. Yet could see individuals sentenced to hard labour or a prison sentence if found guilty.
Private correspondence could even be used as evidence, meaning that love letters had to be destroyed. Consider the bravery needed to defend your relationships and personal choices in court.
Tragically, prosecution could lead many men to lose their jobs, become socially ostracised or take their own lives.
The scene still continued during the blitz but the authorities crackdown post World War Two. Arrests increased, with many feeling more fearful and cautious than before.
But hope is not lost. Discrete private members’ clubs marked the next couple of decades until the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967 and the Gay Liberation Front of the 1970s.
(Transcript of video produced by The Museum Of London. Click on the link below to watch it)
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