diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/base.py b/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/base.py
index f7af420a8d..2b8924d92e 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/base.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/base.py
@@ -90,8 +90,6 @@ class BaseSpatialOperations(object):
 
     # For quoting column values, rather than columns.
     def geo_quote_name(self, name):
-        if isinstance(name, six.text_type):
-            name = name.encode('ascii')
         return "'%s'" % name
 
     # GeometryField operations
diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/util.py b/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/util.py
index 648fcfe963..2fc9123d26 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/util.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/db/backends/util.py
@@ -3,20 +3,6 @@ A collection of utility routines and classes used by the spatial
 backends.
 """
 
-from django.utils import six
-
-def gqn(val):
-    """
-    The geographic quote name function; used for quoting tables and
-    geometries (they use single rather than the double quotes of the
-    backend quotename function).
-    """
-    if isinstance(val, six.string_types):
-        if isinstance(val, six.text_type): val = val.encode('ascii')
-        return "'%s'" % val
-    else:
-        return str(val)
-
 class SpatialOperation(object):
     """
     Base class for generating spatial SQL.