Friends of the Joiners Arms Community Shares Offer

Long Live Queer Spaces

Friends of the Joiners Arms is aiming to raise £100,000 in Community Shares! We’re crowdfunding to:

  • Finance the opening of the UK’s first community run LGBTQI+ venue
  • Expand the membership of our Community Benefit Society
  • Collectively evolve our community run LGBTQI+ venue

 

“I’m so proud to share the work we’ve done to turn this utopian idea into a real space – one that can survive as a viable business, will create opportunities for queer people to work, perform, create, socialise and just ‘be’ on their own terms.”Amy Roberts, Chair Friends of the Joiners Arms.

Our own Prinx Silver, host and performer of Lèse Majesté. Credits: Henri T.

Why we need this

Our vision is to create the UK’s first community run LGBTQI+ venue in London. We want a space run by the people who use it, and for the community. A venue that is truly inclusive and accessible. One that inspires us to create truly radical queer spaces.

What do we have to add to the community? Though London has an incredible collection of LGBTQI+ venues, we have lost more than half of our spaces. This has disproportionately affected more marginalised community members, including queer women, trans and non-binary people, people of colour (POC), and disabled and neurodiverse people. Time to change this around!

With your help we can open a community run LGBTQI+ venue in 2022. A new home for our fabulous Lèse Majesté nights (YES to more Drag Kings and Things!), and a place to collectively realise a fabulous queer space for the community!

The fantastic Bee’Jamming performing at Lèse Majesté. Credits: Henri T.

What people say about our events:

“As a trans person it honestly feels like coming home when I go to a space like this, a rare opportunity to feel truly comfortable in London, I’m still buzzing the day after!”

“It felt safe and revolutionary all at the same time.”

“A genuinely supportive and safe community space”

Who we are

Friends of the Joiners Arms (FOTJA) are an award-winning campaign who fought to protect the Joiners Arms on Hackney Road. Our fierce campaign forced the developer to agree to build a LGBTQI+ space. Seven years later and we’re still waiting for our new home. But recently we secured funding for a temporary space! So in 2022, we will open our own LGBTQI+ venue. And win a few years later, we will move to our permanent home.

We envision a LGBTQI+ venue that is truly queer. A space that isn’t about making profit, but reinvests in the community by creating training and employment opportunities. Inclusive by offering a varied programme of day- and night-time events, which showcases the diverse artforms of our community. And accessible, because it has been designed with and for disabled members of our community.

We already have funding to cover some of the fit-out costs of our temporary location. But a venue needs a business! Now we need help financing the renovation and fit-out of the space, the furnishing, fees for professionals, pre-trading costs and contingency funds. And if we have anything left, a little opening cushion.

Click here to find out more and access the Crowdfunder

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