LGBT+ History
PATH to Pride
PATH to pride
Male homosexuality in Scotland is legalised from 1981, but local organisations helped to connect LGBT+ people – Aberdeen Scottish Minorities Group (SMG), Aberdeen Lesbian Group, and Gay Switchboard.
As Section 28 took hold, support groups like North East LGBT Forum and PHACE Scotland became the main sources of information and support for Queer People well into 2000s.
First Pride Week has been originally organised in 1979 as a series of events, and the first Pride as we know it today was organised in 2001 which then continued until 2013, and became Grampian Pride in 2018.

Stonewall 79 Gay Pride article, Museums and Special Collections, CC BY 4.0.

Demonstration, with Gay Liberation Front Banner, c1972, LSE. No copyright known
Queer liberation
There appear to be little to no mentions of Queer liberation and/or support in existing records before Stonewall Riots. The climate in Scotland as a very traditionalist polity was unable to host such an organisation, despite push for greater rights from 1970s onwards.
First organisation is Scottish Minority Group, founded less than two months before Stonewall Riots in New York. Aberdeen received a branch two years later with Dennis Wilson as its chair. Other members are mentioned only by their initials – Vice-Chair R. K. and Secretary G. S. . Other named members arrive later – Alistair Black as treasurer in 1974 and in 1976 Ian Elder as Vice President; Adrian Marshall as Treasurer; and John Sutherland as Secretary.
Starting from 1973, University of Aberdeen hosts GaySoc – a society to support LGBT+ students, originally to run parallel with Aberdeen SMG. The group was active in organising meets and outings, particularly discos across Aberdeen City Centre. In November 1980 the society was disbanded for alleged misappropriation of finances (less than £400).
LGBT+ Activism
In the same period, Aberdeen Lesbian Group is founded. The exact year is unclear, but the records of Aberdeen SMG tell of a women’s group in 1975 and by 1979, the group is inspired by the Pride Week in London, trying to organise similar event in Aberdeen in final week of June 1979.
Starting from 2000s with the abolition of Section 28, Gay Pride has become more and more vocal throughout Scotland. Press and Journal, similarly to situation in 1980, covered the change to legislation extensively. In this case writing more articles, rather than have local people voice their opinion. However, the messaging is the same and features more dissenting voices against the change.
In the 1990s, the main voice of LGBT+ Activism became Northeast LGBT Forum and PHACE Scotland. Roughly around the same time, RGU has filled a position of LGBT+ Inclusion officer (2005).
Grampian Pride began in 2018, but Pride in Aberdeen is certainly older. Members of the local LGBT+ support networks (PHACE, NELF…) organised a small-scale event, in 2001/2002, whereafter they received financial support from the Aberdeen Council to expand it.
Another interesting story from this period is the changing position of the Church of Scotland, connected with Aberdeen minister Scott Rennie. In Aitken and Others versus the Presbytery of Aberdeen – Elders of the Church protesting the appointment of Scott Rennie (despite members of the Presbytery voting in favour of his appointment 60 to 24). Scott Rennie made his marriage to his husband official once it was introduced in Scotland in 2014.

Grampian Pride © Four Pillars and Grampian Pride