Why is Hebden Bridge known as the 'lesbian capital of the UK'?

When speaking to the crowd one of the band members said: “I heard this was the lesbian capital of the UK”, but that town is actually 20 minutes down the road.

One fan took to Twitter and said: “i feel so bad bad for boygenius bc no halifax is NOT infact the lesbian capitol of the UK and i need them to know its actually hebden bridge".

But why is Hebden Bridge known as the 'lesbian capital of the UK'?

Although the community has been flourishing for decades it was an article by Dr Darren Smith published by The Guardian in 2001 that brought attention to it.

According to the article he explained that he accidentally discovered the large lesbian community in the Calder Valley town after conducting door-to-door interviews for his Ph.D. on the revitalisation of Hebden Bridge.

He wrote: “I found doors opened by one lesbian household after another, and I was being told the same tale of local acceptance and openness by them all.”

Hebden Bridge has long had a reputation of being welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community.

The LGBTQIA+ community in Hebden Bridge can trace its heritage back over 50 years.

One of its roots comes from back in the 1970s when artists and activists were drawn to the town by cheap property prices following the mass closure of the mills.

From this it became a place which allowed people to develop the freedom to live how they wanted to, and a creative hub ensued of writing, painting and music.

And the reputation for being a place of acceptance hasn’t dipped.

For example Happy Valley Pride is a week-long festival celebrating LGBTQIA+ life in Hebden Bridge and nearby Todmorden and Mytholmroyd.

The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year to the variety of events taking place.

Homo Sapiens, a podcast hosted by singer Will Young and film director Chris Sweeney, also did an episode in the town back in 2018 where they discussed its reputation with residents and business owners.