Bristol in 2021: LGBTQ+ Community

2021 has been a challenging year to say the least, but Bristol’s LGBTQ+ community have demonstrated their strength, joy, and pride time and time again.

Delays to Covid restrictions being lifted unfortunately led to the cancellation of the Pride Festival Day and Parade, but the community still found ways to celebrate and remember, with many Pride events moving online or to socially-distanced venues.

To coincide with Pride month, Bristol joined a growing number of cities across the globe and installed a beautiful rainbow street crossing on Wine Street.

Despite being briefly defaced, social media was flooded with joyful photos of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies posing on the crossing.

Sadly, the crossing has become rather faded and worn-looking in the months since its grand unveiling, somewhat undermining its core purpose of celebrating the value of Bristol’s LGBTQ+ community.

The rainbow crossing is intended to be a permanent fixture, and hopefully Bristol City Council will put the same effort into restoring and maintaining it as they did launching it.

The new rainbow crossing brought a splash of queer joy to Wine Street. Photo: Martin Booth

This year, Bristolians proved their strength and willingness to protest against injustice, and the queer community was no exception to that.

The Queer Night Pride protest stood up against rising levels of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime across the country, while a protest outside BBC Bristol offices demanded accountability for the harm caused by the BBC platforming transphobic views.

Poltical parties found themselves held to account against accusations of transphobia, with a Labour council candidate resigning in solidarity with trans people after witnessing transphobia in the party, and Kathryn Bristow of the Green Party taking legal action against an unfair suspension that prevented Bristow from being the first openly trans woman to run in a Bristol City Council election.

Protesters demand accountability outside BBC offices on Whiteladies Road – photo by Ellie Pipe

The value of community and supporting those in your community is something that the LGBTQ+ community holds incredibly dear, and the more solemn occasions of the year bring this to the forefront of our minds.

Brigstowe organised a series of events marking World AIDS Day, educating people on HIV prevention, breaking down the stigma that surrounds HIV+ people, and giving space to mourn for those we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS this year.

Transgender Day Of Rememberance gives the global trans community an opportunity to grieve for those who lost their lives to transphobic violence, and a minute’s silence and march through Bristol highlighted the danger many trans people face just for existing.

A dojo in Easton and the leader of Bristol’s first LGBTQ+ fitness class joined forces to host a self-defence workshop for LGBTQ+ people, empowering the community to feel safe amidst rising reports of queerphobia nationwide.

Trans Pride 2021 – photo by Tim Maynard.

Artists of many different mediums have been adding their unique voice and colour to the city throughout the year.

The Pride Art Trail showcased the works of LGBTQ+ artists in windows across Bristol, Paul Harfleet’s Pansy Project installations stood in delicate defiance against hate crime, and the debut LGBTQ+ Faces of Bristol exhibition gave us beautiful portraits of queer Bristolians that celebrate the diversity of our community.

Bristol remains a hub of queer cultural activity, with the Palace Film Festival showcasing LGBTQ+ filmmakers, Watershed premiering the critically acclaimed documentary Pier Kids, and pioneer of queer literature Armistead Maupin hosting a talk at St George’s.

Artist and founder of The Pansy Project, Paul Harfleet. Image: © Doug Gillen

Bristol24/7’s LGBTQ+ output has seen some shifts too, with the new Queer Catch-Up podcast featuring guests including Cheryl Morgan and Travis Alabanza, and Kit Million Ross taking over as LGBTQ+ Editor from the wonderful Lowie Trevena.

As the world becomes ever-more turbulent and complex, LGBTQ+ Bristolians have empowered and supported each other, unfailingly. While no-one can predict what the next year will look like, it is certain that through it all, Bristol’s queer community will stand in the face of injustice, celebrate with pride, and raise our voices as a treasured part of our city’s past, present, and future.

Main Image: Martin Booth

Read More: ‘If you are queer, you have no right to condemn the actions of those protesting to protect our rights’