Community News Fundraiser launches to “save” Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, an icon among London’s queer-friendly venues A fundraiser to “save” Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club (BGWMC), an icon among London’s queer-friendly venues, has launched, aiming to raise £12,000 by April 8. A key player in London’s LGBTQ+ and alternative scene, the venue first opened as a traditional working men’s club in 1953, and two decades By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News For the 9th consecutive year, Malta is named the most LGBTQ+ inclusive country in Europe For the 9th consecutive year, Malta has been named the most LGBTQ+ inclusive country in Europe, according to the 2024 ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map & Index. Conversely, the UK has slipped from a score of 53.40% in 2023 to a score of 51.88% in 2024. This is grim reading for LGBTQ+ residents of the UK as [… By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Two Senegalese migrants who attempted to save the life of a gay man beaten to death in Spain have been honoured for their heroic actions Two Senegalese migrants who stepped in to save the life of a gay man beaten to death in Spain have been honoured for their heroic actions. Ibrahima Diack and Magatte N’Diaye, were given “adopted sons of the city” status in A Coruña on Monday, February 24 in a formal ceremony recognising their action By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News New “deepling unsettling” report reveals challenges faced by a “hidden population” of LGBTQ+ over-50s in London Tonic Housing, a non-profit organisation which runs a retirement community for LGBTQ+ people in the capital, has published a “deepling unsettling” report, Precarious Lives, which reveals the challenges faced by a “hidden population” of LGBTQ+ over-50s in London. Tonic Housing surveyed 134 people acr By Graham Robson • 2 min read
Community News Revealing St James’s Street with drag icons Alfie Ordinary, Alex Fincher and Billie Gold Drag icons Alfie Ordinary, Alex Fincher and Billie Gold have dug deep into the history books and listened to all the juicy gossip, to create a walking tour of the places and spaces that make up the beating heart of queer Brighton & Hove. Revealing St James’s Street is a project about bringing the qu By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News CEO of the Piece Hall, which proudly houses a sculpture of “the first modern lesbian” Anne Lister, has said the venue will be “displaying our Rainbow Flags with Pride” The CEO of the Piece Hall, which proudly houses a sculpture of “the first modern lesbian” Anne Lister, has said the venue will be “displaying our Rainbow Flags with Pride”. The Piece Hall, a stunning 18th-century cloth hall in Halifax, which now houses history exhibits, shops, bars and restaurants, By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News Lauren Mayberry, lead singer of CHVRCHES, throws her support behind LGBT Youth Scotland fundraising day Purple Friday, an annual fundraising day where people all over Scotland show their support for LGBTQ+ young people, is to launch on Friday, February 28 to fundraise for LGBT Youth Scotland. This Purple Friday, join LGBT Youth Scotland in celebrating self-expression, love, and community with a poetic By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News Jonathan Bailey supports LGBT+ Guide for Parents, published by Just Like Us Just Like Us, the LGBTQ+ young people’s charity, has published its LGBT+ Guide for Parents, which aims to help parents become LGBTQ+ allies and bring families together. According to the charity, a third of British parents have never spoken to their child about what LGBTQ+ means, and dads are even le By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall could lose up to half of its staff after Trump cuts funding to support LGBTQ+ communities around the world LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall could cut up to half of its staff after Donald Trump pulled funding for its foreign aid support, it has been reported by The Times. Stonewall was founded in 1989 by a small group of people who had been active in the struggle against notorious Section 28, which banned By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News Legendary journalist and lesbian rights activist Jackie Forster is to be honoured with a rainbow plaque in London Legendary journalist and lesbian rights activist Jackie Forster is to be honoured with a rainbow plaque at her former home on Warwick Avenue in London. Beginning in 2018, the Rainbow Plaques programme commemorates significant people, locations, and historical episodes in LGBTQ+ history with markers By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News Southampton Pride to spread colour and Pride through the city this August Southampton Pride, the city’s main Pride event, is to take place on August 23 and August 24. Organisers of the Pride event wanted to clear up confusion after it was announced that Pride in the Park, Southampton has been cancelled for 2025. Southampton Pride said on social media: “We have received a By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Politicians in Missouri considering legislation, which will ban cabaret or drag performances Politicians in Missouri are considering legislation, which will ban cabaret or drag performances where it can be viewed by a minor. The bill, proposed by Republican Rick Brattin, who made homophobic remarks in 2017 saying that homosexuals aren’t human beings, stipulates that anyone caught violating By Graham Robson • 1 min read
Business News London loses another LGBTQ+ venue London is to lose yet another LGBTQ+ venue after plans to turn the The Apple Tree, a “quirky, non-conformist” pub in the heart of Clerkenwell, into an eco-decking firm’s showroom were presented to the council. The Apple Tree, which failed to return after Covid, offered a safe haven to those living a By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News #SaferToBeMe summit, the only global LGBTQ+ summit held in the UK, to take place in Newcastle in October The 2025 #SaferToBeMe summit, the only global LGBTQ+ summit held in the UK, returns this year and promises to be the biggest one yet since its inaugural launch in 2023. Taking place in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, the 2025 #SaferToBeMe summit promises an ambitious and exciting programme of events from Octob By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Florida considers banning Pride flags from flying from government buildings, including schools and city halls Politicians in Florida are considering banning schools, city halls and other government buildings from flying Pride flags. The bill, if signed into law, would make the annual practice by governments of flying a rainbow flag during Pride Month illegal. The legislation also covers Black Lives Matters By Graham Robson • 1 min read
Exhibitions Queer Britain, the UK’s only LGBTQ+ museum, to present exhibition on Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat Queer Britain, the UK’s only LGBTQ+ museum, will present an exhibition on Jimmy Somerville and Bronski Beat, launching March 13 and running till May 25. In 1984 Jimmy Somerville’s first band, Bronski Beat released their debut album, The Age of Consent. The album title was a response to the age of co By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Kennedy Center “abruptly cancels” performance from Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC A performance from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC in the United States on May 21 has been pulled from the programme of events at the Kennedy Center in the capital city. The gay men’s chorus was set to perform at this year’s World Pride Washington DC, which brings together a programme of event By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Lucky Roy Singh, a non-binary activist and drag queen from Manchester, calls for more stories of “pivotal” queer icons to be taught more widely in UK schools Lucky Roy Singh, a non-binary activist and drag queen from Manchester, has called for more stories of “pivotal” queer icons who “laid the foundations” for the LGBTQ+ community to be taught more widely in UK schools as the country marks LGBT+ History Month. The LGBTQ+ campaigner from Manchester says By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Brussels aiming to become the “queer capital of Europe” with new Pride Museum Brussels is aiming to become the “queer capital of Europe” after it was announced the Belgian city is gearing up to welcome its first Pride Museum. An international team with 12 nationalities has been planning the museum for the past two years in Belgium, which was the second country in the world to By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Muhsin Hendricks, the “world’s first openly gay imam”, shot dead in South Africa Muhsin Hendricks, the “world’s first openly gay imam” and a trailblazing figure in the LGBTQ+ Muslim community, has been shot dead in South Africa. The 57-year-old cleric, renowned for running a mosque in Cape Town that welcomed marginalised Muslims, was killed in a targeted attack on Saturday morni By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Hundreds gather to protest erasure of trans references from Stonewall National Monument website More than 300 people with LGBTQ+ flags rallied at the Stonewall National Monument on Friday, February 14, a day after references to trans Americans disappeared from the Stonewall National Monument website. The National Park Service, which manages America’s national parks and most of the country’s na By Graham Robson • 1 min read
LGBTQ+ News Research shows majority of British citizens believe Muslims are “homophobic threat” to LGBTQ+ communities New research shows that the majority of citizens in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States may hold the “stereotypical and prejudiced” view that Muslims are a homophobic threat to LGBTQ+ communities. Published in British Journal of Political Science, the study, co-led by the Univer By Graham Robson • 2 min read
LGBTQ+ News Scottish LGBTQ+ charity marks Valentine’s Day by highlighting harm caused by conversion practices LGBTQ+ charity Equality Network has taken to the streets, and the bus stops, this Valentine’s Day using an unconventional Valentine’s Day message highlighting the harm caused by conversion practices in Scotland. Across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, the public will see digital billboards in prime By Graham Robson • 2 min read
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA LGBTQ+ News National Park Service removes the “T” from the “LGBTQ+”, as well as any references to trans people, from official Stonewall National Monument website The National Park Service, which manages America’s national parks and most of the country’s national monuments, has removed the “T” from the “LGBTQ+”, as well as any references to trans people, from the official Stonewall National Monument website. Stonewall National Monument, which was designated a By Graham Robson • 2 min read
