New data has identified a Norwich neighbourhood as having the region's highest proportion of LGBTQ+ people, and one of the greatest concentrations in the UK. CASEY COOPER-FISKE spoke to locals to find out why
Designated by statisticians from the Office of National Statistics simply as 'Norwich, city centre west', it is a horn-shaped slice of land stretching from the terraced streets of NR3 to a point not far from Carrow Road.
According to those statisticians, it is this area which is home to the highest proportion of LGBTQ+ people in the county, with 14.09% reporting in the 2021 census that they were not straight.
The figure for the whole of Norfolk was 2.66%, with an average across England of Wales of 3.2%.
It was the first time the census had recorded the information, and the data - which was released a few days ago - paints a fascinating picture.
Nationally, this 'city centre west' neighbourhood had the 19th highest concentration of LGBTQ+ people.
But those areas above it in the list, were clustered in just a handful of cities: Greater Manchester, Brighton and university areas of Oxford and Aberystwyth.
So what factors could lie behind the figures, and Norwich's position near the top of the list?
Spirit of the area
Locals point out the neighbourhood covers the Norwich University of the Arts and a large amount of student housing.
But in addition to its young population, they also cite a "spirit of the area", which makes it particularly welcoming.
Harley Wright, manager of the Artichoke in Magdalen Road, said: "The area as a whole is very accepting, it has a lot of openly safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people.
"Where other parts of the city have places that have no problem with gay and trans people, here we have a lot of businesses making that obvious and actively welcoming the community.
"Others are passive [to whether they welcome the LGBTQ+ community]. They must make it clearer, as it's our responsibility to challenge the system and end the oppression.
"Here at the Artichoke we make it really clear we won't accept discrimination and we make sure people know they're welcome by having the flag up and really getting behind [Norwich] Pride."
Benji Skelly, a bartender at the Plasterer's Arms in Cowgate, said he felt Norwich as a whole was a welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people but said his area did more than the rest of the city.
"This side of the city is definitely a lot more welcoming," he said.
"The demographic here is made up of people from wider backgrounds than in other areas so it's no surprise that people are more happy to be openly gay here than elsewhere.
"At the pub we try to tread the line between being a traditional pub and still being forward-looking."
Cosmopolitan city
At Norwich Market's Canaries stall, On The Stall City, Andy Bowles said the younger "more cosmopolitan" make-up of the area meant people were more relaxed about themselves.
"This part of the city is really open and inclusive and it probably helps that we've got a university here which means we've got a younger population," he said.
"We support Pride and it runs through here so it sends quite a positive message.
"The football club has its Proud Canaries group and I think it certainly does more than other teams to welcome the LGBTQ+ community.
"We sell the pride Norwich City scarfs, rainbow laces and even jackets, which are very popular."
Bisexual capital
The 'city centre west' area was not the only interesting picture to emerge from the census data.
It also showed that the wider city has the second-highest proportion of people outside London with a trans or non-binary gender identity.
Some 1.07% of people in the city identified as such – more than three times the English and Welsh average.
Norwich was also named as the bisexual capital, with 3.89% of people identifying as such, placing the city ahead of Bristol, with 3.08%. Nationally, the figure for bisexual or pansexual was 1.51%.
In city centre west, the bisexual figure was 6.92%, while the proportion of those with a trans or non binary gender identity was 2.67% - another record for the region.
Overall, Norwich also has the third-highest number of LGB+ people outside London.
Green city councillor for the area, Ash Haynes, welcomed the figures saying the high number of bisexual people in the area was a huge plus as they are often overlooked even within the community.
"As a bisexual woman, it’s fantastic to see the LGBTQ+ community flourishing in Norwich, with so many of us feeling able to be open and proud of who we are," she said.
"I’ve worked with my fellow green councillors in Norwich to promote policies that champion the rights of our community at City Hall and will continue to fight for the needs of our community, such as rapid tackling of hate crimes and support for trans and non-binary people.
"I’m particularly proud to see Norwich as the bisexual capital of the UK, a group frequently overlooked when we talk about LGBT rights and who still face significant discrimination even within the community."
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