Today Valerie’s Soho neighbourhood is less and less gay, but to me it will always be the place where I first tried to flirt and be cool and where, after a lot of searching, I caught my first glimpses of a different way of being. But for a painfully self-conscious sixteen year old from Essex, it felt exotic and a passport into a new world. With hindsight, I’m sure it was the tamest of introductions to gay life. ![]() ![]() I fell instantly in love with its bohemian cafe atmosphere. I found my first ‘gay friendly’ landmark in the mid-80s when a schoolfriend took me to the original Patisserie Valerie. It is hard to recall in the digital age that it was once quite so difficult to find a new community – especially one half-hidden – outside your own. I couldn’t have told you then why but I know now that I was unconsciously looking for somewhere I could belong. As a teenager I used to ride the 40 minutes into London where for hours I would just walk. My very first experience of London had no map. To mark LGBT History Month 2018 and its theme – Geography – mapping our world – I decided to map some of the people, places and ideas that shaped my life in the city I adore. I’ve lived here for 25 years and believe it to be the finest city in the world. I am completely, unapologetically in love with London.
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