Pride month is a time when the community and its allies aim to celebrate LGBTQ people around the world. However, it's important to remember that the mistreatment and underrepresentation of people of colour is still prevalent in all areas of society — including in the LGBTQ community. According to statistics from Stonewall, more than half of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) LGBT people have experienced discrimination or poor treatment from the wider LGBT community. Thankfully, various support networks offer guidance and safe spaces for vulnerable and often silenced LGBTQ people of colour. So, if you'd like to learn more about what's out there, here are just some of the organisations supporting QTIPOC in the UK you can follow, support, and donate to.
In an often whitewashed society, queer, trans, and/or intersex people of colour (QTIPOC) might struggle to find open and honest conversations about sexual health, gender, and identity in the way that other LGTBQ people can. However, with various charities, events, organisations, and community networks spread across the UK in major cities such as London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, and beyond, it has become increasingly possible for QTIPOC to connect with their peers in a range of safe and inspiring spaces.
To discover more about the ongoing work of these organisations, please find below a list of some of the most active networks of QTIPOC in the UK today.
1House of Rainbow, London
London's House of Rainbow creates a safe and inclusive space for BAME LGBTQIA+ individuals. This support organisation assists the community in areas such as sexual health, counselling, pastoral care, and more — and sets out to connect marginalised identifies through the societal pressures they might face.
Other London organisations that support QTIPOC include Gendered Intelligence (donate here), Purple Rain Collective (donate here), and The Naz Project (donate here).
2QTI Coalition of Colour, Cambridge
The QTI Coalition of Colour both celebrates and amplifies self-identified QTIPOC in Cambridge, and helps create a safe environment for them in which shared experiences of the intersection of race, gender and sexual identity, and ethnicity are openly explored.
The QTI Coalition of Colour encourages followers to donate to the Exist Loudly fund, which you can learn more about here
3Rainbow Noir, Manchester
Rainbow Noir aims to represent LGBTQI+ people of colour living in Manchester. In addition to uplifting members and creating a safe space for them, Rainbow Noir also strives to influence change outside of their community on a wider scale.
4Our Space, Leeds
This Leeds-based community hub welcomes QTIPOC from across the city and beyond. Using music and art to platform and uplift stories from QTIPOC, Our Space also aims to connect the voices and visions within the community, and educate allies along the way.
5Unmuted, Birmingham
Through meet-ups, events and continued support systems, Birmingham's UNMUTED provides a safe environment for QTIPOC in their city. The network also aims to increase representation of their community across Birmingham and, in turn, helps to impact change on a mainstream level.
6QTIPOC Notts, Nottingham
Nottingham-based social group QTIPOC Notts exists to unite LGBTQIA+ people of colour through meaningful conversations, the sharing of ideas, and the exchanging of opinions — all of which takes place within monthly meet-up sessions.
Find out ways to support QTIPOC Notts via their Facebook page
7Scotch Bonnet Scotland
Scotch Bonnet is described as a collaborative group that helps to create safe creative and social spaces for QTIPOC and allies in Scotland. Open dialogue about how race intersects with LGBTQI+ issues is at the forefront of this community, which also sets out to assist white people in becoming greater allies.
8Glitter Cymru, South Wales
With monthly meet-ups and a string of other regular events, Glitter Cymru in South Wales promises to create a space for LGBT+ BAME people in which they can express themselves freely, and celebrate other voices and talents in the community.
Find out ways to support Glitter Cymru via their Facebook page
9Kiki Bristol
Championing diversity and representation within the city's LGBTQ+ population, Kiki Bristol provides a safe, inclusive place for QTIPOC to meet, socialise, and learn from one another.
Find out ways to support Kiki Bristol via their Facebook page
10QTIBPOC Family Dinner
Founded by Kayza Rose in 2017, the QTIBPOC Family Dinner creates a safe space in which people are encouraged to engage in open discussions about self-care, wellbeing, love, and empowerment.
Find out ways to support QTIBPOC Family Dinner via their Instagram
11Origins Eile, Ireland
Not in the UK but certainly worth a mention, Origins Eile is a community-run organisation that celebrates and creates safe spaces for QTIPOC in Ireland. Origins Eile operates a strict Come Correct Code: queer phobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, ableism, classism will not be tolerated in their spaces. Origins Eile are currently running a GoFundMe to support of Ireland's QTIPOC during COVID-19. The money raised will be used to provide aid to the QTIPOC at this time, including providing grocery deliveries and transport and helping with rent, bills, and medication costs, among other methods of support.
12Nationwide organisations
As well as highlighting the organisations above, which tend to work on a local level, is also useful to be aware of ones that operate nationwide.
- UK Black Pride is Europe’s largest celebration for LGBTQ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American descent. Organisers host an annual celebration in London during Pride month (which, in 2020, has been moved online) and travel to different areas of the UK throughout the year promoting and advocating for their community. Donate here
- BlackOut UK is a social enterprise run by a group of Black, queer men. As the website states, BlackOut UK is a space for their members to "think, shout, show off, curse, celebrate, laugh, reflect and share." Their aim is to build a sense of community between Black queer men in the UK and facilitate discussion among their members and among the wider communities their members are a part of. Donate here
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For additional resources and organisations supporting QTIPOC, Stonewall's BAME/POC Staff Network have collated a list on their website.
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