Gaytrification in Scotland: The Rise of the “Rainbow Destination” and the Erosion of Queer Space

Abstract Book of the 12th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

Year: 2026

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Gaytrification in Scotland: The Rise of the “Rainbow Destination” and the Erosion of Queer Space

Dr. Kenneth Searle, Olivia Petty

ABSTRACT:

Despite the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Scotland not taking place until 1981, thirteen years after England and Wales, post-devolution Scotland is widely acknowledged to have developed a comparatively liberal approach towards LGBTQ+ rights. Notably, the repealing of Section 28, which prohibited the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools, took place three years earlier than in England and Wales, with an ‘LGBT-curriculum’ now mandatory. Nonetheless, in larger Scottish cities today, a lingering concern regarding LGBTQ+ spaces remains, with a process of ‘gaytrification’ targeted at gay male consumers taking place. This has often come at the expense of more localised DIY queer spaces, reflecting wider gentrification patterns within Scottish cities, and UK cities more broadly. To establish the extent of this, this paper presents a case study regarding how the urban queer environment within Edinburgh has been overlooked in comparison to a wider, more commercial gay scene. In studying a city with an economy reliant on tourism, this presentation focuses on the disregarding of residents at the expense of affluent incomers. In doing so, it evaluates how safe spaces, protest, and creativity are being eliminated at the expense of specifically gay male tourists being provided with a sanitised ‘rainbow destination’. This process leads to a sense of Edinburgh being ‘de-gayed’ for local communities, with queer spaces in these areas losing their socio-political impact. This paper draws further inferences from the broader literature regarding wider concerns around tourist-based economies with a notable queer scene being eroded at the expense of satisfying consumer demand.

Keywords: Economic Sociology, Gender Issues, Social Mobility and Social Class, Cultural Studies