How can hospitality ensure inclusivity towards the LGBTQ+ community?

An LGBTQ+ celebration is likely coming to a venue near you this month (May) as hundreds of venues sign up for Pub Pride, an Ask for Clive campaign celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in LGBTQ+ inclusive venues ahead of Pride season. Previously Pub Pride has involved live music, drag shows, karaoke, street art as well as food and plenty of drinks. The celebratory, footfall-driving weekend is solving a more serious problem, however, as it seeks to create safe venues for the queer nightlife community, which has been hit by a growing disappearance of LGBTQ+ venues and a sharp rise in discriminatory incidents. LGBTQ+ venues are on a rapid decline LGBTQ-specific venues have been facing a crisis, with more than half of London's LGBTQ+ pubs, clubs and music venues closing in the last decade. The consequences of ‘lost venues’ have been felt across the globe, with the LGBTQ+ community no longer feeling valued, happy and safe. Moreover, the rich and unique culture created by these spaces is also threatened by these closures. Why are they closing? There are plenty of explanations for why we’re seeing a decline in gay bars across the globe. It’s common knowledge that Covid impacted all nightlife, with uncertainty, financial hardship and a lack of support meaning that venues struggled to reopen. However, the decline of LGBTQ+ spaces was apparent long before the pandemic, with some believing that it is in fact the fact that society is becoming better integrated, lessening the demand for gay-only or predominantly gay venues. On the flip side, some also have the opinion that the LGBTQ+ scene has long since reached its cultural peak with ‘gay’ venues now being populated with straight people and little to differentiate themselves from any other pub, club or bar. Digital culture and apps like Grindr have also negated the need to go out and meet people to some extent. Change in societal attitudes There’s sound proof that acceptance of this minority is on the up, with new research revealing that 92% of UK citizens state they are entirely or fairly comfortable with a gay or bisexual man or lesbian or bisexual woman being their neighbour, manager, GP or Prime Minister. It appears that there has been some great societal progression, however, this does not mean that our work is done - far from it. The fact remains that this minority group is still subject to hate crimes, with reports worryingly suggesting that LGBTQ+ violence recently reached its highest point in the past decade. With that said, an estimated 80% of hate crime goes unreported. It is alarming indeed that reported hate crime has tripled in the past ten years, and that the trans community saw 56% increase from 2021-22. An alternative: Ask for Clive It’s not enough to assume that our more inclusive society will mean that the LGTBQ+ communities should simply feel safe and included in any venue, steps need to be taken to ensure that they are guaranteed safety. To make taking these steps easier for existing venues, we set up Ask for Clive, a charity that partners with venues to promote inclusion and create welcoming environments for the LGBTQ+ community. Ask for Clive is a charity that asks inclusive establishments to put a sticker with the charity's name on their door to signal that the LGBTQ+ community is welcome there. We work directly with local communities and venues and collaborate with law enforcement on training and reporting initiatives so that anyone who enters an Ask For Clive venue can feel safe. The charity provides a brief for bar staff on how to deal with discrimination queer patrons may experience. When pub-goers see the AFC sticker, they'll know the pub has committed to providing a welcome space for the queer community. We created Ask For Clive to create and showcase welcome spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in places where you won’t have seen the Pride flag previously such as your local village pub. Inclusivity is also good for business, being registered with Ask For Clive and joining in with events like Pub Pride has driven much-needed footfall and sales for venues. So it’s a real win-win. Throughout their history, the LGBTQ+ community has been targeted and harassed solely for loving who they love. Back in the late 20th century, the LGBTQ+ community had to take things into their own hands and create their own nighttime scene, behind closed doors, hidden away. Now it’s time that we all step in. One of the best ways we can do this is to sign up for Ask for Clive and Pub Pride and join the increasing number of venues across the country celebrating queer culture while also having a great time.