Propaganda’s gone: Nottingham needs more LGBTQ+ safe spaces

CW: Mentions of sexual assault and physical violence

If you didn’t notice, there is a severe lack of LGBTQ safe spaces in Nottingham. Sure, it’d be unfair to say that Nottingham has no queer venues. Inclusive pubs like The Lord Roberts and New Foresters offer us queer residents the chance to let our hair down and be open about our true selves.

Still, once you’ve dabbled in the likes of Soho in London and Canal Street in Manchester, Nottingham can seem a bit lacklustre when it comes to LGBTQ venues. Propaganda, which was once Nottingham’s only LGBTQ club, has become an office space.

Notts needs more LGBTQ spaces and my desire for them runs deeper than just wanting to “pull” on a night out. We deserve environments in which we don’t feel we have to restrict ourselves to avoid being embroiled in a hate crime.

Areas like Soho in London are filled with LGBTQ venues

Queerphobia is still alive and kicking

There’s no doubt that British society has come a long way when it comes to LGBTQ rights. But growth in progressive attitudes doesn’t mean we as queer people are now immunised against prejudice.

Within the last six years, reports of homophobic hate crimes have risen by 210 per cent, while reports of transphobic hate crimes have increased by an even more terrifying 332 per cent in the same time period, according to a report by Vice. In essence, being loud, out and proud still carries immense risk.

I’m grateful that I’ve never been the victim of public homophobic abuse. I suppose I’m what most people would call “straight-passing”. That is, I “present as heterosexual” through certain mannerisms, behaviours or appearances. Now, I’m not bragging (trust me, I’m so over hypermasculinity complexes), and I’m not saying that I never act in a stereotypically gay way, but I don’t “look” gay to most people.

Still, even I’ve felt uncomfortable in venues in which there are many non-LGBTQ people. I was in a pub last year while the Euros was on and a group of men sitting near me were making homophobic jokes towards one another. That kind of stuff really triggers my fight-or-flight and I know for a fact that fear would be even worse for a femme gay guy or trans woman, for instance.

It’s why more LGBTQ-friendly spaces would be brilliant for Notts. The rise in hate crimes show that a rise in legal equality doesn’t necessarily mean a rise in social equality.

We don’t just need gay clubs, we need inclusive spaces for all

If the media reported that a new gay club was to open in the city, you certainly wouldn’t find me outside the venue protesting and harassing the contractors. No one wants to swing their hips to G.U.Y. by Lady Gaga in a warm sea of strobe lights more than me. I’d love a queer bar or club to set up shop in the city.

But we also need spaces which aren’t dominated by alcohol. Not everyone enjoys clubbing and for some people, this is also true of drinking. Besides, it can be painfully difficult to make friends and find new lovers in clubs and bars. On a recent trip to Le Marais in Paris, my friend and I got chatty with the owners of a gay bar. The four of us sat and talked about queer-related topics well into midnight, with some of the patrons even getting involved. But realistically, would such a group discussion involving managers happen on the Nottingham nightlife scene? I doubt it.

Plus, when some people have too much to drink, they start to abandon all comprehension of boundaries. Two years ago in a gay club, I had a much older man grope me on a private part of my body. One fire-ridden rebuttal was enough to get him off me. But not everyone is audaciously defensive when someone assaults them. And even if they were, why should we have to endure drunken abuse?

A queer-friendly coffee shop would definitely be chilled out

Speaking from experience here, I feel like LGBTQ clubs, on the whole, are hypersexualised. Getting someone’s Snapchat in one will most likely end in a hook-up rather than an engagement in front of the Eiffel Tower five years down the line. For those of us who want something more long-term, a queer coffeehouse or bookstore would provide a safe, calm and alcohol-free space where Cupid’s arrows might get a clearer view of the landing strip.

However, I also don’t believe that new queer-friendly venues, alcohol-free or not, would inherently ensure our welfare. You might think that an ‘LGBTQ-friendly’ space would recognise inclusivity like the back of its hand. But even within the LGBTQ community, oppressive systems like biphobia and transphobia operate.

So many of us have heard abhorrent stories of LGBTQ+ patrons being mocked and ridiculed in these spaces, only for staff members to turn a blind eye. Sometimes it’s even been the staff members themselves who have been doing the ridiculing. In essence, just because a venue has a rainbow flag taped atop its entrance doesn’t mean it’s truly a safe space.

Bars and clubs are fun but not always the safest places

A new LGBTQ establishment in Nottingham would have to be truly inclusive. If anyone was to suffer say, transphobia or racism from another customer, they ought to be supported. Staff, too, need to be truly inclusive to all patrons. Perhaps a way of ensuring this might be for new venues to vet applicants and/or train them on the nuances of queerphobia so they know how to spot  and tackle it in action.

I don’t think entrepreneurs should just throw any new place together. We as LGBTQ people deserve a space in which we can truly feel comfortable, in which we can truly thrive. After all, safety is a human right.

If you or someone you know has been affected by this story you can contact Switchboard, the LGBTQ+ helpline, on 0300 330 0630 or visit their website. You can also find help through young people’s charity The Mix, and Galop, the LGBTQ+ anti-violence charity. 

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