Out with Out

Friday 25 August 2017

A Jersey charity is hoping to set up a new way members of the LGBT+ community in the island can meet up and socialise.

The idea is still in the early stages of development, but Liberate – an equality and diversity group – are asking anyone who is interested in the idea to contact them.

The plan is Out – as the group would be called – will organise weekly evening meetings with something different happening every week. The programme of activities would be decided by the Out committee and membership, but might include talks, walks, meals out, cinema and theatre trips, games evenings, fundraising for charities and sharing information about LGBT+ issues happening across the world.

Vic Tanner Davy, CEO of Liberate Jersey, said: “The business model of a “gay bar” no longer works for various reasons, which is why they are closing across the UK including in the Channel Islands where the population of potential customers is even smaller than the UK. This demise of a physical space and the rise of cyber spaces have made it increasingly difficult for the LGBT+ community to come together.”

Liberate say there is no global movement for LGBT+ people equivalent to organisations such as the WI, the Scouts, the Freemasons, or Rotary that provide members with opportunities to socialise but also to pursue interests and fundraise for charitable causes. Liberate hope that Out will fill this gap.

It is hoped that the idea will appeal to all sections of the LGBT+ community from those who are newly out and looking for a bit of support; to those who are older and, maybe, have lost their life partner and would like some company in which they can feel comfortable being out; to visitors to the Islands who would like to meet the local community here; to singles hoping to meet potential partners; to those who are in partnerships and would like to give something back to the community.

Vic Tanner Davy said: “This is a new concept for the LGBT+ community, which is why we are asking for expressions of interest at this stage. However, it is a model that continues to endure and prove popular with all sorts of exclusive groups. We hope that Out will provide a space that recognises that LGBT+ people have other interests, just like everyone else, and that we deserve to have a publicly visible association that enables us to contribute to society, as other sections of society do.”