My Queer Diary: 2nd - 8th June '25
Welcome to My Queer Diary, a weekly digest of LGBT+ events taking place around Edinburgh. Feel free to get in touch: myqueerdiary@proton.me
It’s Pride month in Edinburgh! There’s so much going on. I’m not listing all of Porty Pride’s events, they have a packed programme from 6-8 June. Check out the Porty Pride events programme for a full breakdown.
Thanks to the community organisers, event promoters, artists, workers and business people keeping the queer community thriving.
Monday 2 June
The Lavender Drawing Board: Co-working for queer creatives
13:00-16:00, Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive at the Edinburgh Palette, 151 London Road, EH7 6AE
Researching, writing and creative freelancing can be a lonely road. The Lavender Menace Drawing Board is offering a calm, supportive atmosphere for studying, reading and library-reasonable creative work in the company of fellow queer bees. Limited capacity, so book in advance.
LGBTQ+ NA
18:30-19:45, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
A weekly Narcotics Anonymous group in Edinburgh for LGBTQ+ people (16+). Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a fellowship or society of people for whom drugs had become a major problem. Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied substance use disorders.
Queer by Nature
18:30-20:00, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
Queer By Nature is an Edinburgh-based local community group run by and for queer people that like nature. We are a friendly group of queer people who care about the natural environment, who come together to spend time in nature, share knowledge and learn together. This month is Pride crafts.
Glamoor!
21:00, The Street, 2b Picardy Pl, EH1 3JT
We’re kicking off Pride month with a bang with this cast of icons! Featuring Phil Herrin, Krystal Klear, Nova Duh and Brenda Tweedy!
Tracks Mondays
21:00, Subway, 69 Cowgate, EH1 1JW
Join us on Monday for another amazing night on the biggest stage in Scottish Drag with a takeover from Mother Maiden & Crone. Featuring Ruth Canal, Maiden Leith and Count Thagula. Be sure to get down early so you don’t miss out!
Tuesday 3 June
Queer Milk
10:30-12:00, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
This support group is for LGBTQ+ parents who are giving human milk to their babies. Whether you are chestfeeding, breastfeeding, using SNS, co-nursing, giving expressed or donor milk in a bottle, combi feeding with formula - or any of the many and beautiful ways you are choosing to give human milk to your baby- this group is for you.
Queering Scots in Italy | The Life and Legacy of James Byres
12:45-13:30, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, National Gallery, The Mound, EH2 2EL
Celebrating Pride Month 2025, writer and researcher Indigo Dunphy-Smith explores the life of James Byres, a Scottish Jacobite exile, Grand Tour guide, and queer figure. This talk delves into his personal relationships and professional network, which included celebrated artists like Henry Raeburn and Pompeo Batoni. His legacy offers a fascinating insight into art, identity, exile, and public perception in the 18th-century.
Fix My Own Bike! session for Women & Non-Binary folk
17:00-20:00, The Wee Spoke Hub (by SHRUB Coop), 13 Guthrie Street, EH1 1JG
Join us for a Bike-DIY session, and fix your own bike! £6 per hour for the use of a stable bike stand, in a warm, dry, well-lit space. Wee Spoke Hub tools are available for your use. We also have spare parts (new and used) for sale, and mechanical assistance from our Wee Spoke Hub volunteers, backed up by a workshop mechanic.
Milo Allan - Murray Hall
19:00-20:00, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, EH15 1DA
We're excited that Milo Clenshaw and Vicky Allan, who together form the writing duo Milo Allan, are coming to the bookshop to discuss their debut novel, Murray Hall. “It is 1901, and Dr Gallagher has just pronounced Murray Hall dead. New York politico, gambler, womaniser – Hall is all these things, but when the press break the news of his death to the world, they reveal a side to his identity he never wanted known, a secret no one could have guessed.”
LGBTQ AA
19:45-20:45, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
Wednesday 4 June
Trans+ Swimming Session
19:00-21:00, St Leonard’s Pool, Holyrood Rd, EH8 8AQ
As part of an inclusive access to exercise pilot, we're offering a dedicated time for trans students, staff, and members of the wider Edinburgh community to enjoy movement and build confidence in a welcoming and supportive environment.
Queer Women / Queer Spaces: An evening with June Thomas & Jane Cholmeley
19:00-20:00, Lighthouse Bookshop Garden, off West Nicolson Street, EH8 9DB
How do places shape us? How have feminist and queer cultures been formed and forged by the rooms we gather in, the places we own, love and learn in? This Pride month we're doing a deep dive into feminist and lesbian history, to excavate our history and celebrate the women and places that laid the foundations of queer culture today!
Kook
22:00, Paradise Palms, 41 Lothian St, EH1 1HB
KOOK returns! Hosted by Mystika Glamoor with resident king Daddy Delight AND special guest Nova Duh! Kick off Pride month with a bang at Edinburghs kookiest kabaret, and dance the night away to tunes by dj Zak!
Drum&Face
23:00-03:00, CC Blooms, 23-24 Calton Sq, EH1 3AA
On this night we've decided it's time to use our venue and platform to give back to the community we have the honour of running our nights in - starting off we're going to be raising money for Not a Phase. You can make contributions through our page, their page, and there will be opportunities on the night to do so.
Thursday 5 June
Queer by Nature Wild Dippers
Wardie Bay - time and specific location TBA
If you’ve never tried wild swimming before, that’s okay! There is no pressure or competition to stay in the water, you can swim, dip, or simply paddle. Listen to your body and what it needs! All ability levels are welcome! Please check the link for Queer By Nature’s instagram page where they usually announce more information.
Book(ish) | LGBTQ+ Artists
11:00-12:00, Modern Two, 73 Belford Road, EH4 3DR
Join us for an up-close look at rare material from our archive, rare books and print collections. In each session a theme or artist is explored with one of our curatorial team, taking an intimate look at some of jewels from our collection. This session will focus on LGBTQ+ artists from the collection, including Claude Cahun, Anton Prinner and Robert Colquhoun & Robert MacBryde.
The Queer Data Showcase
17:00-19:00, Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 60 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ
Hosted by Mystika Glamoor this first-of-its-kind event spotlights a curated selection of artists, academics and activists working with - or interested in - queer data as a material, concept, process or problem. Imagine a less stuffy TED talk where everyone in the room has a passion for all things QUEER DATA!
Trans & Non-binary Fencing Taster
18:30, Leith Community Centre, 12A Newkirkgate, Leith, EH6 6AD
Join us at Leith Community Centre for a fencing taster with Dunedin Fencing Club, ahead of their Pride Beginners' Course starting 26th June! Fencing is great fun, so come along and have some fun hitting each other with swords, as the club put it. Message to sign up!!
Friday 6 June
Soapbox: The Story Sessions
18:00-20:00, Tribe Porty, 19 Windsor Place Portobello, EH15 2AJ
Soapbox and Tribe Porty are delighted to welcome you to another evening of Story Sessions! This month, as part of Porty Pride, we’re shining a light on Queer Joy; a celebration of living authentically, loving boldly, and finding happiness in both the everyday and extraordinary moments of queer life. It’s about the moments that make us feel safe, loved, and empowered, and about the community that surrounds us with acceptance and support.
Pride Month short films
18:30, Institut français Écosse, West Parliament Square, EH1 1RF
The French Institute celebrates Pride Month with a selection of 3 short films by Lauriane Lagarde, Arthur Thomas Pavlowsy and Drag Race France winner Paloma/Hugo Bardin. Dive through the first moments of a lesbian love story in the outskirts of Strasbourg, an inclusive boxing club in Marseille and the unexpected encounter of a truck driver and a drag queen.
Tranimosity
20:00-23:00, CC Blooms, 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA
Scotland’s only all trans drag show! Hosted by Kystal Klear, with Ivy & Vil.
Hot Mess: Queer Dance Party
23:00-03:00, Sneaky Pete's, 73 Cowgate, EH1 1JW
Simonotron plays tear-drenched orchestral disco, raw, bumping house, high-NRG classics and bleepy psychedelic techno all night long. Offering dancefloor comfort and joy for people of all genders, sexualities, ethnicities and ages, Hot Mess will blow your mind, give you little forehead kisses, and call you a good boy.
Saturday 7 June
Saturday Chatterday Pride Month!
13:30-16:00, Kafe Kweer, 5 St. Peter's Buildings, EH3 9PG
Saturday Chatterday is an event we started to help fight loneliness and help folk meet new people. Whether you really click and become friends, or only meet once, it's a great chance to meet new folk and their perspectives. We've run it for years now and it's been a wonderful way for people to break their comfort zone and chat to folk.
Trans Masculine Scotland
15:00-17:00, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
Trans Masculine Scotland is a social group run by and for the trans masculine community. We welcome all trans masculine (including non-binary) folks aged 16+.
Edinburgh Trans Women
15:00-17:00, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
Support and social meeting for trans women (16+) in Edinburgh. For women who are transsexual, transgender, transfeminine. Also those who are gender questioning. Come and join us for a friendly chat with tea and coffee. Register for the in-person meeting by emailing us in advance at edinburgh.transwomen@googlemail.com.
Pride History Tours at The Real Mary King’s Close
16:00 & 17:30, The Real Mary King’s Close, 2 Warriston’s Close, High Street, EH1 1PG
Running every Saturday in June.
To celebrate Pride Month, The Real Mary King’s Close shares its research in a series of educational and thought-provoking ‘Pride History Tours’. These tours have been designed to reveal the hidden histories of LGBTQIA+ community life in Edinburgh from the mid-16th century until 1912. The LGBTQIA+ community tend to be missing in history books, and it can be difficult to imagine the struggles they had to face throughout the centuries.
Kim Carnie: Out Loud + Q&A
20:30, Cameo, 38 Home St, EH3 9LZ
Scottish singer Kim Carnie was in a secret same-sex relationship for 6 years, from the ages of 16-22. Now 30, she can reflect on the impact those 6 years of secrecy had on her.
Glam Slam Drag Show
22:00, CC Blooms, 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA
GLAM SLAM is a monthly lipsync smackdown show, hosted by Rozie Cheeks and Sissy Scorpio! The contestants will battle it out for the title of ‘GLAM SLAM KNOCKOUT BOP AND WEAVE BELOW THE BELT RINGSIDE HAHA IM BETTER THAN YOU ALL WINNERS CHAMPION’ and walk away with the winner package grand prize! Who will win? You decide! £1=1 vote
EHFM’s Pride Extravaganza
23:00-03:00, Sneaky Pete's, 73 Cowgate, EH1 1JW
We love love and everyone who loves to love - especially our LGBTQIA+ friends! Celebrate pride with us and our full line up of gays and theys at sneaky petes including: Millux b2b al gu Throughline T-Total Lietzsche Buckfast Barbie.
Sunday 8 June
Queer Men for Queer Literature
12:15-14:00, Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive at the Edinburgh Palette, 151 London Road, EH7 6AE
A friendly monthly discussion group about gay books and gay writing, for people who enjoy reading and talking about how gay writing has impacted our lives. In June, we're discussing childhood books. Did you see yourself in books when you were younger? What books did you enjoy? And what's the landscape of children's literature today?
God's Own Country
14:15, Cameo, 38 Home St, EH3 9LZ
Johnny Saxby works long hours on his family’s remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge drinking at the local pub and casual sex. But when a handsome Romanian migrant worker arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself dealing with emotions he has never felt before.
Lino Printing Workshop with Celesti Ink
15:00-18:00, Dreadnought, Leith, 72 North Fort Street, EH6 4HL
Join Celesti Ink for a lino printing workshop in collaboration with Gayz Onley, the annual Pride festival at Dreadnought Leith. This 3 hour work shop with Celesti Ink is by Orion (he/they) a queer, trans, and neurodivergent tattoo artist based in Leith with a deep love for lino printing. This session is all about carving, inking, and creating in good company. All materials provided - No experience needed. Safe, inclusive, and proudly queer creative space.
Dyke Bar
19:30, The Espy, 62-64 Bath St, EH15 1HF
Free entry pub night! All dykes welcome. Bring warm clothes, we're spilling out on the beach!
Planning ahead…
Things coming up further ahead than one week that might sell out and assorted flora.
Queer Folks’ Tales
Thursday 12 June, 19:30-21:30, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High St, EH1 1SR
Storytelling series where queer storytellers from a diverse range of backgrounds, ages and cultures around Edinburgh and Scotland share stories of LGBTQ+ lives, past, present and future. With Turan Ali, Josie Duncan, Ruth Hunter & Theo Seddon.
LGBTQ+ Singles Night
Thursday 12 June, 19:00, last entry 21:30, Copper Blossom, 107 George St, EH2 3BG
Just a bar, everyone single. Because the world in 2025 is all about meeting IRL, not on dating apps! Hey Edinburgh! We’re back with our next LGBTQ event and we’re excited to be hosting at the beautiful Copper Blossoms!
Pride Sports Day
Sunday 22 June, Pleasance Games Hall, Pleasance Sports Complex & Gym, 46 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ
The University of Edinburgh Sports Union have organised a Sports Day for LGBT+ students, with friends and allies welcome! The afternoon will be several 45 min sessions of each sport, with breaks in between. There will be climbing, football, self-defence, boccia, and pickleball. Please sign up using the link. Sign up deadline for the climbing sessions is Friday 6 June. See you there!
Val McDermid - Queen Macbeth: A Kick up the Arts Live Podcast Recording
Wednesday 9 July, 19:00-20:00, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, EH15 1DA
Join Val McDermid and Nicola Meighan for a special live recording of Meighan’s Scottish Arts & Culture Podcast, A Kick Up The Arts, to celebrate the paperback publication of Val's latest book, Queen Macbeth. They'll chat about Val's life and work, and she will also give us a virtual night of entertainment by discussing her choice of a Scottish album, film and book.