Is apathy killing our LGBT Communities?

It was with sad news that I read this week about the Pink Paper closing. I’ve read and followed the gay newspaper for many years from when it was in print form and my regular reading material whilst I had a pint at the local gay pub. Then it became an online paper which I continued to follow on Facebook.

The last 12 months have seen a number of LGBT services, establishments and charities close or fight for survival, many that have existed for decades. Examples off the top of my head are First Out Cafe and Gay’s The Word bookshop in Soho, the Candy Bar and OUT! bookstore in Brighton, we’ve seen Prides struggle across the UK and experienced LGBT charities struggling to continue to remain financially secure; The Rainbow Fund was set up in response to this growing domino collapse of our services in Brighton & Hove. So what’s going on?

It’s a sad fact that as LGBT individuals the majority of us do not seem to be as loyal to LGBT services, don’t seem to care in fact if they exist at all and general apathy prevails. May be, it’s because we fail to see the value of these services if we are not using them ourselves and do not know those who are benefiting from them. We can’t even be bothered most of the time to fill in questionnaires and surveys to provide the much needed data that tell grant and statutory funders we even need them. May be you don’t, but may be you will at some stage of your life?

‘The Scene’ equally is not immune. In the 13 years I have lived in Brighton, I have seen venues and club nights come and go or remain in a constant penultimate state. In this blog about my life as a lesbian in Brighton I lament about what I dislike with the lesbian scene and why I decreasingly go out on it, mock it even. The bi and trans community express their unease with the Scene, feeling unwelcome and unsafe from the gay and lesbian community and are forced to seek alternatives. So who are these Scene facilities catering for? Not every lesbian will feel as I do, but there are many who will. Not every bi and trans person feels uncomfortable, but there are many who do.

I refer to Brighton, but this is not just about Brighton, other areas could claim the same domino effect of closure in their LGBT communities and scene. Is there a new group of LGBT people that are disassociating from the ‘LGBT community’ and why are they? Are the current services offered by LGBT charities and venues, ‘meeting a need’ they presume LGBT people have? But then if those who identify as LGBT are not willing to fill in surveys, how do they find out? How do we stop the dominoes from falling? Do we need to stop them from falling? Or is it inevitable and just part of the natural cycle of progress and change?