Bristol in 2020: the LGBTQ+ community

In-person events and the chance to meet face-to-face with others in the queer community is something that has been, and remains, something very important to LGBTQ+ people.

With the advent of coronavirus and the forced closure of physical queer spaces, the community in Bristol and beyond have had to adapt, bringing inclusive, safe spaces to the online sphere.

Bristol Pride and Trans Pride South West, some of the city’s largest LGBTQ+ events, moved online for 2020, with other organisers following suit.

Club nights and in-person support groups were put on pause, protests were socially distanced and drag went virtual.

The city’s LGBTQ+ organisations were able to quickly shift to hold events and groups online at the beginning of the first lockdown, and fundraisers were launched to support vulnerable queer people in the city, almost instantly.

Clare Lowe of Wig in a Box Promotions raised almost £2,000 to support LGBTQ+ artists and SCRiTCH Cabaret‘s Oliver Assets and Kurt Sovain collected more than £500 for queer performers.

Brigstowe, a HIV charity, and Pride Without Borders, a project from Bristol Refugee Rights supporting LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers, both launched fundraisers so that staff and volunteers could continue working with at-risk queer people in the city.

Charities has been supporting vulnerable queer people. Photo: Diego Maeso

As the first lockdown was announced, Bristol’s LGBTQ+ events organisations were already adapting to the quickly changing situation.

Queer promoters, organisations and groups continue to play an important role in bringing a sense of togetherness into LGBTQ+ people’s lives, something vitally important both people living through the multiple lockdowns in less accepting homes.

From the Voice and Influence Partnership working with Kiki Bristol to showcase the talent of queer people of colour via Instagram live shows to Bitch, Please!’s livestreams, which been proving raised £436 for youth homelessness charity akt in April and hundreds for Caring in Bristol in May, the community continues to adapt and support each other.

As well as events moving online, 2020 has also seen the queer community needing to fight for its rights, and doing this in a Covid-safe manner: July saw a static protest against transphobia on College Green and a show of solidarity with Poland’s queer community was held in August.

A protest against transphobia was held in response to the rolling back of trans rights in the UK. Photo: Nicky Ebbage

Community groups have also adapted to the two lockdowns and the intermediate coronavirus measures, with most staying virtual for the entire year. Hidayah, a support network for LGBTQ+ muslims with a branch in Bristol, hosted virtual events and Prism has been supporting people in the community who use alcohol and drugs.

Freedom Youth, the city’s longest running LGBTQ+ youth group, celebrated its 25th year completely virtually, and MindLine Trans+ has continued to offer transgender people across the country support via the phone.

Brigstowe, akt, Unity Health Clinic and Kiki Bristol remain almost entirely virtual as well.

2020 has seen one major casualty for the queer community: September saw the closure of LGBT Bristol, following 26 years of operation because of lack of funding.

On the other hand, new LGBTQ+ people and groups continue to find their feet in Bristol: a mural painted for LGBTQ+ people, led by a transgender women, took over a mural in Stokes Croft in October to document the state of healthcare for trans people and the Gas Girls teamed up with Bristol Pride to design their new away kit.

Changes Bristol launched an LGBTQ+ peer support group, the Phoenix Song Project offered voice work support for trans and non-binary people and a new radio station was launched. The Process was founded during lockdown, offering gender affirming clothing and PRiDE OUT, a queer cycling group, opened a Bristol branch.

PRiDE OUT opened a South West group in summer 2020. Photo: PRiDE OUT

The Independent Mental Health Network created the LGBTQ+ Mental Health Lived Experience Steering Group to scrutinise the local mental health system’s response to the mental health and wellbeing needs that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic within the queer community.

Also launched in response to the pandemic was My Queer Quarantine, an attempt to document the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the South West during the pandemic and ensuring that queer history isn’t left unheard, as it often has.

One thing seems certain among all the unprecedented times and unknown futures: while Bristol’s queer community has suffered in a similar vein to many others, the city’s LGBTQ+ people continue to help each other through the pandemic – making sure that no queer person is left behind.

Main photo: Nicky Ebbage

Read more: Hundreds in Bristol protest against transphobia