Bristol24/7 Student Guide 2020: Being LGBTQ+ in Bristol

Bristol boasts a lively and inclusive LGBTQ+ scene, so here are some of the local clubs, organisations and mental health support to get you familiar with the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol.

LGBTQ+ Nightlife

OMG Bristol
Open from 10pm from Wednesdays to Saturdays, OMG Bristol offers cheap nights out – great for the student budget – complete with LED dancefloors, a stage and a booth for hire.

Currently only the bar is open due to the pandemic.

Bristol Bear Bar
Bristol Bear Bar is a gay bar located on Old Market Street. Open from 7pm from Thursday to Saturday each week, the owners describe the venue as “attitude-free”.

Queenshilling
Queenshilling is an LGBTQ+ club on Frogmore Street, offering drag performances, a bar, and a guaranteed good dance. The club has no current reopening plans but attracts a more local crowd, so is the perfect place to meet for a drink with friends or a date once it reopens.

Old Market Assembly
An LGBTQ+ venue that’s a cultural hotspot for those who are more artistically minded, the Old Market Assembly is a great place to go as it hosts regular queer events and LGBTQ+ shows, including Don’t Tell Your Mother, a club night that’s valued for its inclusive ethos.

Scritch Cabaret is one of many LGBTQ+ events held at the Old Market Assembly. Photo: Maria Meco

LGBTQ+ Organisations

UWE LGBT+ Society
If you’re a student at UWE Bristol, then I can’t recommend UWE’s LGBT+ society enough. Even though events had to be cancelled due to Covid-19, the society plans to host online activities soon.

University of Bristol LGBT+ Society
Another LGBTQ+ society, which is inclusive of all genders and sexualities. If you’re a student who’s studying at the University of Bristol, this is the society to join!

Freedom Youth
Freedom turns 25 years old in 2020 and is the city’s longest-running queer youth group.

The LGBTQ+ branch of Off the Record and the place for all your LGBTQ+ needs, it not only offers LGBTQ+ counselling, but it also runs two separate youth groups where LGBTQ+ young people can meet, socialise and take part in activism activities.

Freedom Youth is a great place to meet other queer young people. Image: Black Bark Films

It’s a great place to meet like-minded LGBTQ+ young people aged between 18 and 25, especially now since everything‘s online.

SingOut Bristol
Fancy singing? Well, SingOut Bristol is for you. It’s a choir run by members of the LGBTQ+ community who enjoy singing. But don’t worry, prior experience isn’t needed.

Kiki Bristol
Kiki Bristol is a place specifically for LGBTQ+ people of colour. Since it began in 2017, it’s grown from a one-off night club to a vital part of the Bristol LGBTQ+ scene, hosting everything from film screening to workshops.

Mental Health Support

Mindline Trans+
Mindline Trans+ is a helpline for transgender, non-binary and those questioning their gender identity and is open every Monday and Friday from 8pm through to midnight.

People who are transgender can get help through an exclusive, Bristol-based helpline. Photo: Bristol Mind

MindOut
MindOut is a mental health service for the LGBTQ+ community which offers different support, from trans specific sessions to an advocacy session.

Gendered Intelligence
This youth group is run in London, Leeds and Bristol and also offers support for young people who are transgender, non-binary or questioning their gender.

Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline
Similar to Mindline Trans, Switchboard LGBT+ is an LGBT+ helpline that’s open every day from 10am to 10pm and has more of a general approach when it comes to any issues you may have when it comes to being LGBTQ+.

Imaan
Imaan is a charity that supports LGBTQ+ muslims, and the website provides an online forum where folks can share experiences and ask for help.

Main photo: Jack Joseph

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