Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a roundabout in London's West End. A statue of Eros, the god of love, stands at its centre. The crossroads intersect the shopping streets of Picadilly, Regent Street and Lower Regent Street, and Shaftesbury Avenue, the theatre street.
1950s
During the 1950s Picadilly Circus became the focus of queer commercial sociability[1] after the neibouring Leicester Square suffered a demise in gay visited venues after the Met and LCC clamped down on heterosexual vice, making gay men's presence less acceptable.
1990s
on 5 September 1990 OutRage! organised a 'kiss in' to protest against police arresting gay men for kissing in public[2]. A troop of cheerleaders urged everyone on - the first appearance in Britain of a new London House of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. 400 people participated in the action with no arrests. It generated press, with the Guardian running a photo caption "kiss of death" and the Independent claiming that "unless homosexuals wish to alienate the public they should conduct themselves with restraint". It was a turning point in how the Met treated gay affection in public.
See Timeline of West End Bars and Clubs.
