The influence of LGBTQ+ spaces in defining the urban experience of people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community has become the subject of a growing literature in the field of urban sociology.Our present research focuses on the perception of these urban spaces by their attendants and analyses how different LGBTQ+ spaces shape a sense of identity, community, and security among them.Using the tools of ethnographic research, such as participant observation and in-depth interview, we analysed two LGBTQ+ friendly spaces located Girls 1st Day of School Set in Padua, an Italian medium-size city with a noteworthy LGBTQ+ history.
The selected spaces each have a different social function: political or recreational; one space is the headquarters of a political association, and the other one is a club.Our results show that an LGBTQ+ urban space, especially the political one, can have a positive influence Cali disc on the perception of a sense of identity, community, and security.This is both thanks to its social function, because it allows for the creation of solid bonds inside a safe place, and thanks to its history, which makes it a point-of-reference for the local LGBTQ+ community.