The Rainbow Lounge

The Rainbow Lounge, a safe and welcoming queer space for any 16+ LGBTQIA+ folks met for the first time at 7.30pm on the 28th of January

Our wonderful sessional worker Drew lead the event with support from our Events Team, a lovely group of volunteers passionate about bringing our community together.

It was a relaxed 1-hour meetup that took place online over Zoom and 17 members of the community were present. It was great to see familiar faces and to make connections with some new ones. Beginning with a ‘show us yer mug’ segment, we were introduced to the group and some excellent mugs were showcased, ranging from a comic strip of Dennis the Menace visiting the Kelpies, to the infamous butt-shaped mug!

Alongside many other topics, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of meeting on an online platform. Whilst many of us are missing hugs, for some, being able to speak to others from the comfort of their own space is more relaxing than face-to-face events. Across our informal chats, the community expressed a shared wish for contact and togetherness. Folks shared that they enjoyed the chance to connect with others and the friendly, informal feel of the Rainbow Lounge.

A participant left us some lovely feedback and we hope you would get the same out of The Rainbow Lounge: “This was my first time going to an LGBT+ event and I really enjoyed it. It was really great to meet people in a safe, friendly space and feel like there was no pressure to talk, hurry up. I feel like I’m on a big journey just now, figuring out a lot of things about myself and my identity. Sometimes it can be a bit isolating and confusing, other times it feels quite exciting. It was just really nice to have the chance to connect with people.”

We ended the hour with a community member sharing a song that means something to them. This week the song choice was Nina Simone’s ‘To Love Somebody’ and over the coming events, we aim to create a collaborative playlist of meaningful music for the community to look back on.

The Rainbow Lounge takes place every 2 weeks on a Thursday so if you missed our first Rainbow Lounge you are always very welcome to come to future Rainbow Lounges. Stay for the full hour or just drop in briefly to say hello. We look forward to coming together soon for more chats on the 11th of February.

How to join the next Rainbow Lounge?

Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting link and passcode to access each session of The Rainbow Lounge (it’s the same link and passcode for all sessions so keep that email handy).