A space for queers in Bristol

“This project began out of a desire to create safe spaces for members of the queer community to come together and explore their creativity and self expression, an opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people,” say Lizzie Wiggs and Ellie Showering of Queer Space Bristol.

Supported by the Tobacco Factory Theatres, Queer Space Bristol runs a wide range of creative and wellbeing workshops and events for the LGBTQ+ community in the city.

Lizzie, the organisation’s director, was working with young adults at the Tobacco Factory Theatres in Southville when she noticed that LGBTQ+ members wanted to spend time exploring queer narratives, writing queer scripts and learning about queer writers.

An LGBTQIA+ Devising and Writing Workshop, held in 2019, was the first event held by Queer Space Bristol, followed by an all day performance workshop led by artists Edalia Day, Malaika Kegode and Ellie Showering.

The aim of Queer Space Bristol, which has continued to grow and expand since then, is to support the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people across the city and beyond.

“ Queer Space Bristol continues to grow as a collaborative, open hearted exploration,” say Lizzie and Ellie, who is also a director alongside Lizzie.

“Looking at finding new ways of working with queer artists and the LGBTQIA+ community to make a positive difference to people’s every day lives, with the needs, voices, stories and experiences of our diverse LGBTQIA+ community shaping it from the very start.”

Ellie is one of Queer Space Bristol’s directors. Image: Molly Mural

Currently, the organisation runs events including an outdoor gym and a book club, and a newsletter has been started up to let people know about events, which are always pay what you can.

“We also really want to programme our events in direct conversation with our queer community so every four to six months we’re going to hold a Have Your Say: QSB Programming Forum,” say Lizzie and Ellie, who are holding the first forum on Saturday.

“Anyone is welcome along to these events to help shape future programming. People can have an idea of something they’d like to run, or that they’d like to see being run, or just to come along and be part of the conversation.”

Queer Space Bristol also runs mindfulness sessions and are planning to start a queer choir, a market and restart the film club.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPaLR6jA4G7/

Lizzie and Ellie, alongside their colleagues social media manager Emile Clarke and illustrator Molly Hawkins, also hope that the space can be welcoming and queer while also offering something that non-sober nightlife places can.

“Having a space where LGBTQIA+ people can simply exist in their own skin and experience, without judgment or pressure is in itself enormously beneficial and important,” say Lizzie and Ellie.

“After our second event we received an email from a participant who wrote ‘I think this is the first time in over a year that I’ve felt like I could just be me in a room’. This has always really stayed with us.

“You can often really feel it at events, there’s almost a collective exhale at being able to rest into the space and company of other queer folk.”

Main image of Lizzie: Molly Murals

Read more: Hopes to open a queer art space in Bristol