20世紀中期開始,希爾布羅因其不斷壯大的同性戀群體而著名。從1960年代起,許多同性戀機構與出版物都會選擇在希爾布羅成立或印刷。在希爾布羅,同性戀群體規模很大,勢力也十分強大,實行種族隔離的執政國民黨甚至因此而派出支持同性戀者權利的候選人萊昂·德·比爾(英语:Leon de Beer)到該區參選1987年大選。他承諾推進議會內的同性戀者權利,並恢復希爾布羅的“白人專用區”地位,之後德·比爾在大選中勝出,消息獲該區的同性戀出版物《出口》大肆宣傳[10]。在競選期間,德·比爾得到同性戀群體的支持,最終他贏得選舉,成為南非首位以支持同性戀者為競選綱領,且勝出選舉的民選官員[11][12]。
^Conway, Daniel. Queering Apartheid: The National Party's 1987 'Gay Rights' Election Campaign in Hillbrow. Journal of Southern African Studies. December 2009, 35 (4): 849–863. doi:10.1080/03057070903313210.
^ 8.08.1Raper, Peter E.; Moller, Lucie A.; du Plessis, Theodorus L. Dictionary of Southern African Place Names. Jonathan Ball Publishers. 2014: 1412. ISBN 9781868425501.
^ 9.09.19.29.3Musiker, Naomi; Musiker, Reuben. A Concise Historical Dictionary of Greater Johannesburg. Cape Town: Francolin. 2000. ISBN 978-1868590711.
Daniel Conway (2009) 'Queering Apartheid: the National Party's 1987 'Gay Rights' Election Campaign in Hillbrow', Journal of Southern African Studies, 35,4: 849–863.
Glynn Griffiths and Paddy Clay, Hillbrow (Cape Town, Don Nelson, 1982)
Kgebetli Moele, Room 207 (Kwela Books, 2006)
Alan Morris, Bleakness and Light: Inner City Transition in Hillbrow, Johannesburg (Johannesburg, University of Witwatersrand Press, 1999)