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Metro
20-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
This is the best London neighbourhood to be LGBTQ+ in 2025
For LGBTQ+ people, picking a place to live isn't just about balancing budgets and commuting needs. We also need to consider our safety, and how open the area is to accommodating queer and trans people. Just south of the River Thames, the London borough of Lambeth has one of the highest LGBTQ+ populations in the country – and it's bustling with queer spaces. According to the latest Census, 8.3% of Lambeth's residents are LGBTQ+, while neighbouring Southwark rests at 8.1%. The only other area to trump both was the City of London, at 10.3%. Of the top 10 local authorities with the highest number of LGBTQ+ residents, seven were in London, while Brighton and Hove unsurprisingly took home the prize as the gayest neighbourhood in England and Wales at 10.7%. Contrary to popular belief, though, not everywhere in London is always sparkles and glitter. Safety remains an issue, as one in five LGBTQ+ people have experienced hate crime on TfL services, while queer venues remain under threat. Between 2006 and 2022, more than half of London's LGBTQ+ spaces closed, with numbers falling from 125 to just 50. With that in mind, it's more important than ever that LGBTQ+ people feel safe in their living situation – whether that means access to a queer-friendly yoga session, or a gay bar to dance the night away. You can access completely fee-free mortgage advice with London & Country (L&C) Mortgages, a partner of Metro. Customers benefit from: – Award winning service from the UK's leading mortgage broker – Expert advisors on hand 7 days a week – Access to 1000s of mortgage deals from across the market Unlike many mortgage brokers, L&C won't charge you a fee for their advice. Find out how much you could borrow online Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. From Vauxhall to Brixton (AKA, the home of queer pop festival Mighty Hoopla), there's so much in Lambeth enticing queer and trans people to the area. For starters, there's the iconic Royal Vauxhall Tavern. Hailed as the 'beating heart of Vauxhall,' it's the oldest surviving queer venue in South London – a title which has earned it Grade II-listed status. Built between 1860 and 1862, drag shows were reportedly held there as early as the post-WWII years as servicemen returned from war. Throughout the 1980s, Lily Savage (Paul O'Grady's drag persona) had a regular show there, taking to the stage four times a week for eight years – long before The Lily Savage Show first aired in 1997. Gay icon Princess Diana was also known to frequent the beloved RVT and was once smuggled into the venue by Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett. They dolled her up in men's clothes, and no one batted an eyelid. These days, the RVT channels the spirit of Pride 365 days a year, with regular performances from the likes of David Hoyle and Myra DuBois. Also in Vauxhall, LGBTQ+ bar and club Eagle serves up tipples aplenty in their beer garden, and hosts residents Horse Meat Disco every Sunday. Beats the end of the weekend scaries, right? Serving up drag and cabaret to Lambeth locals since it first threw open its doors in 1981, the Two Brewers in Clapham is still open seven days a week. It's not just wall-to-wall partying either: there are also sober-friendly events, including Sheila Simmonds' famous Busy Lady Bingo and RuPaul's Drag Race UK live streamings. Just around the corner in the borough of Southwark, there's also the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, a not-for-profit space for queer and trans people that hosts everything from LGBTQ+ ballet to co-working spaces, meditation and writing clubs. June might mark Pride Month, but the reality is that LGBTQ+ people still face issues accessing housing. Research from Stonewall shows that almost one in five LGBTQ+ people have experienced homelessness; these statistics increase to 25% of all trans people. The majority of these cases are caused by direct rejection from families over their LGBTQ+ identity, too, as 77% of people surveyed by akt said that 'family rejection, abuse or being asked to leave home' was the cause of their homelessness. Shortly before becoming homeless, more than 50% had their family members force them to stop expressing their LGBTQ+ identity, figures which rise to 64% for trans people and 55% for disabled people. More Trending The University of Stirling also finds that LGBTQ+ people have poorer housing outcomes than their straight and cis counterparts, too. Gay, lesbian and bisexual people specifically are less likely to own their own homes, while throughout the 1980s and 1990s, there were instances of gay and bisexual men having their mortgage applications refused because of the stigma tied to the HIV/AIDS crisis. View More » So, we've still got a long way to go to carve out safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people – not just in housing and in London, but everywhere. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Widow fined more than £1,000 by parking wardens after council delays Blue Badge renewal MORE: I can be myself in the UK – but now I can't go home MORE: Map reveals UK cheating hotspot where the most people have been unfaithful
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘People are still doing it, but nobody talks about it': queer collective Duckie break the chemsex taboo
'It's sort of a daytime TV chatshow, mixed with an avant garde variety show,' explains Simon Casson, co-founder and producer of the legendary queer nightlife collective Duckie. Casson is explaining the colourful concept of Rat Park, the group's latest project. 'There's going to be a big bonfire in the garden and candles outdoors in jam jars, it's all very beautiful,' he says. 'Inside, there will be discussions and performance pieces, then interviews, then another performance and more conversations – all about the terribly embarrassing subject of queer people and our sex lives.' Rat Park will run every Saturday afternoon in February, which is LGBTQ+ history month in the UK. The collaborative events, which will be held at a 'secret location', bring together community names such as artist and archivist Ajamu X, HIV activist Marc Thompson and author Matthew Todd, alongside a selection of performers including cabaret act Rhys' Pieces and artist Zack Mennell. Each week is themed on a different body fluid. 'Blood' points the way to discussions of HIV and family, whereas 'tears' might prompt conversations about grief, rejection and masculinity. (Use your imagination for the other two weeks: piss and spunk.) Sex and intimacy are the threads that bind Rat Park together. And although everyone is welcome, there is a particular focus on queer men over 40. This is because the event isn't just anchored around sex, but particularly chemsex – sex parties including the use of drugs such as methamphetamine (known as crystal meth or 'tina') and GHB. Casson tells me that the event is purposely positioned in the so-called 'Tina Triangle' – the area between Oval, Vauxhall and Stockwell, where there is a high concentration of gay residents and chemsex parties. 'I'm 58, so obviously my generation grew up among a lot of homophobia. It's hard to get rid of that and sometimes it comes out in funny ways as we get older,' he says. 'And when you then introduce something like chemsex, with the power of a drug like crystal meth, it can become quite irresistible for a lot of us.' In the 2010s, chemsex inspired a flurry of mainstream media coverage. More support services soon became available. But it feels as if the 'story' has now moved on, even though there are still three suspected chemsex-related deaths every month in London alone. 'A lot of people are still doing it, but it's a secret,' Casson says. 'It's underground. It's taboo. Nobody talks about it.' He sees Rat Park as a chance to restart the conversation. As a sober event held in the afternoon, Rat Park has a different vibe to Duckie's usual offering, which culminates in 'dancing, drinking and disco'. The collective was founded in 1995 in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern – a London pub that has been at the centre of LGBTQ+ nightlife and activism for decades. Like the RVT itself, Duckie's output is vibrant and varied. 'It was and is a bunch of queer misfits who were disfranchised by shit gay clubbing, who brought together artists, performers and drag queens from the club world and beyond,' says performer and writer Scottee, who started his career there. 'It's an alchemy of outsiders who make work that is motivated by the issues facing the community.' The collective's 2002 Christmas show, C'est Vauxhall, seated guests at tables and offered them the chance to order short acts using 'Duckie dollars' from a menu. The following year, this was recreated at the Barbican, which won an Olivier award for best entertainment show – a watershed moment that brought them to venues including the Sydney Opera House. In 2022, Duckie announced the end of its weekly residence at the RVT, saying it would continue to put on events such as Rat Park on an ad-hoc basis. 'Duckie is a family,' says Neil Bartlett, whose award-winning career as a theatre director, performer and writer spans five decades. Bartlett used to test out his short performance pieces on Duckie nights and continues to collaborate with them because of the 'unrivalled' connection with the audience. 'I'm probably the only person whose CV includes opening a new piece at the National Theatre and at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in the same week,' he says. 'Some people might say: 'The last thing that he did was working with Emma Corrin in the West End. Why is he going back to Vauxhall?' Well, I never left Vauxhall.' Rat Park is a natural fit for Bartlett, because sexual politics is a thread that runs through his work. 'The intention here is to create a warm and caring space, where we can get together as a community,' he says. 'There is a concentration of addiction issues, mental health issues and loneliness, but I think we also need to talk about how we're having a fabulous time, too. We're finding new ways to love each other, new ways to have sex with each other.' And these conversations don't have to be geared around younger people. 'Each week at Rat Park I'm going to be performing a new set of five-minute monologues,' Bartlett says. 'I'll be speaking as a proud gay pensioner.' Scottee will be taking on the role of moderator and interviewer. He hopes to facilitate face-to-face conversations that, as the LGBTQ+ community has moved online, feel more rare. To some people, meeting in a physical space might even seem like a 'radical, old-fashioned' idea. 'The art of conversation in queer culture now often boils down to, 'Hey mate, what are you into?'' he explains. 'But this is going to go beyond that. I love a bit of chat, because I think most queens and queers are very profound. We've observed and watched the world for a long time.' Related: Cheerio, Duckie: regulars look back at the LGBTQ+ club that broke the mould Reading the event description, it's impossible to miss a sense of warmth and sheer randomness that feels representative of the LGBTQ+ nightlife spaces Duckie descends from. Promised attractions include 'shaved arses' and performances by Shirley Bassey (a drag act, not the real one). Attenders will even be served jacket potatoes and cake. 'At the heart Duckie is working-class hospitality culture, so this is what happens when that meets radical queer culture,' Scottee says. 'When money is tight, giving people a meal is a gesture. That used to happen so much more in queer community spaces, so here you're going to get shaved arses and jacket potatoes.' In conversation with Bartlett, I tried to define that specific irreverence – a campiness that feels homely, familiar and very queer. 'High-quality chaos' was the wording I eventually landed on. 'Ooh, I'm going to steal that one,' he says. 'A loving afternoon of high-quality chaos. Who wouldn't want to come?' • Rat Park takes place on 1, 8, 15 and 22 February in London
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘People are still doing it, but nobody talks about it': queer collective Duckie break the chemsex taboo
'It's sort of a daytime TV chatshow, mixed with an avant garde variety show,' explains Simon Casson, co-founder and producer of the legendary queer nightlife collective Duckie. Casson is explaining the colourful concept of Rat Park, the group's latest project. 'There's going to be a big bonfire in the garden and candles outdoors in jam jars, it's all very beautiful,' he says. 'Inside, there will be discussions and performance pieces, then interviews, then another performance and more conversations – all about the terribly embarrassing subject of queer people and our sex lives.' Rat Park will run every Saturday afternoon in February, which is LGBTQ+ history month in the UK. The collaborative events, which will be held at a 'secret location', bring together community names such as artist and archivist Ajamu X, HIV activist Marc Thompson and author Matthew Todd, alongside a selection of performers including cabaret act Rhys' Pieces and artist Zack Mennell. Each week is themed on a different body fluid. 'Blood' points the way to discussions of HIV and family, whereas 'tears' might prompt conversations about grief, rejection and masculinity. (Use your imagination for the other two weeks: piss and spunk.) Sex and intimacy are the threads that bind Rat Park together. And although everyone is welcome, there is a particular focus on queer men over 40. This is because the event isn't just anchored around sex, but particularly chemsex – sex parties including the use of drugs such as methamphetamine (known as crystal meth or 'tina') and GHB. Casson tells me that the event is purposely positioned in the so-called 'Tina Triangle' – the area between Oval, Vauxhall and Stockwell, where there is a high concentration of gay residents and chemsex parties. 'I'm 58, so obviously my generation grew up among a lot of homophobia. It's hard to get rid of that and sometimes it comes out in funny ways as we get older,' he says. 'And when you then introduce something like chemsex, with the power of a drug like crystal meth, it can become quite irresistible for a lot of us.' In the 2010s, chemsex inspired a flurry of mainstream media coverage. More support services soon became available. But it feels as if the 'story' has now moved on, even though there are still three suspected chemsex-related deaths every month in London alone. 'A lot of people are still doing it, but it's a secret,' Casson says. 'It's underground. It's taboo. Nobody talks about it.' He sees Rat Park as a chance to restart the conversation. As a sober event held in the afternoon, Rat Park has a different vibe to Duckie's usual offering, which culminates in 'dancing, drinking and disco'. The collective was founded in 1995 in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern – a London pub that has been at the centre of LGBTQ+ nightlife and activism for decades. Like the RVT itself, Duckie's output is vibrant and varied. 'It was and is a bunch of queer misfits who were disfranchised by shit gay clubbing, who brought together artists, performers and drag queens from the club world and beyond,' says performer and writer Scottee, who started his career there. 'It's an alchemy of outsiders who make work that is motivated by the issues facing the community.' The collective's 2002 Christmas show, C'est Vauxhall, seated guests at tables and offered them the chance to order short acts using 'Duckie dollars' from a menu. The following year, this was recreated at the Barbican, which won an Olivier award for best entertainment show – a watershed moment that brought them to venues including the Sydney Opera House. In 2022, Duckie announced the end of its weekly residence at the RVT, saying it would continue to put on events such as Rat Park on an ad-hoc basis. 'Duckie is a family,' says Neil Bartlett, whose award-winning career as a theatre director, performer and writer spans five decades. Bartlett used to test out his short performance pieces on Duckie nights and continues to collaborate with them because of the 'unrivalled' connection with the audience. 'I'm probably the only person whose CV includes opening a new piece at the National Theatre and at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in the same week,' he says. 'Some people might say: 'The last thing that he did was working with Emma Corrin in the West End. Why is he going back to Vauxhall?' Well, I never left Vauxhall.' Rat Park is a natural fit for Bartlett, because sexual politics is a thread that runs through his work. 'The intention here is to create a warm and caring space, where we can get together as a community,' he says. 'There is a concentration of addiction issues, mental health issues and loneliness, but I think we also need to talk about how we're having a fabulous time, too. We're finding new ways to love each other, new ways to have sex with each other.' And these conversations don't have to be geared around younger people. 'Each week at Rat Park I'm going to be performing a new set of five-minute monologues,' Bartlett says. 'I'll be speaking as a proud gay pensioner.' Scottee will be taking on the role of moderator and interviewer. He hopes to facilitate face-to-face conversations that, as the LGBTQ+ community has moved online, feel more rare. To some people, meeting in a physical space might even seem like a 'radical, old-fashioned' idea. 'The art of conversation in queer culture now often boils down to, 'Hey mate, what are you into?'' he explains. 'But this is going to go beyond that. I love a bit of chat, because I think most queens and queers are very profound. We've observed and watched the world for a long time.' Reading the event description, it's impossible to miss a sense of warmth and sheer randomness that feels representative of the LGBTQ+ nightlife spaces Duckie descends from. Promised attractions include 'shaved arses' and performances by Shirley Bassey (a drag act, not the real one). Attenders will even be served jacket potatoes and cake. 'At the heart Duckie is working-class hospitality culture, so this is what happens when that meets radical queer culture,' Scottee says. 'When money is tight, giving people a meal is a gesture. That used to happen so much more in queer community spaces, so here you're going to get shaved arses and jacket potatoes.' In conversation with Bartlett, I tried to define that specific irreverence – a campiness that feels homely, familiar and very queer. 'High-quality chaos' was the wording I eventually landed on. 'Ooh, I'm going to steal that one,' he says. 'A loving afternoon of high-quality chaos. Who wouldn't want to come?' Rat Park takes place on 1, 8, 15 and 22 February in London
