Star Letter
THE SCENE: USE IT OR LOSE IT
I’m a 27-year-old lesbian and have been openly gay since school. I have been on “the scene” for over 10 years now and have found acquaintances, best friends and love. “Back in the day” in Nottingham, where I live, we had multiple venues to choose from; the Foresters, Central, AD2, Lord Roberts and the nightclub NG1, to name a few! Many have come and gone; at present we only have the Foresters and Propaganda (which is turning straight by the day). NG1 was known all over the country as a go-to club. Now I hear stories of LGBT people being turned away at the door of the nightclub that once welcomed us with open arms! It’s not just Nottingham. Me and my friends have been all over the country, visiting different gay scenes and Prides over the years, and have seen the decline happening all over. And the LGBT venues that are still open only seem to have a quarter of the occupancy they once had. Where have all the gays gone? Don’t tell me all us lesbians have just settled down in a cosy flat with two cats! Where is the next generation of LGBT guys? Is it because the straights have invaded our precious scene and we no longer feel welcome? One of my straight friends asked why am I so bothered; aOE er all, we wanted equality, right? Yes, but we, the LGBT community, need somewhere to go where we can be ourselves, somewhere we can kiss and be aŸ ectionate to our partners and not get frowned upon! We need to support our scene and keep it alive for future generations!