A secluded corner stone of Kemp Town, Brighton is home to a small café/bookshop that is specifically designed to be welcoming to queer people and ally’s alike to spend time and relax where there is a definitive no fear of judgment, as the place was set up and is run by people similarly part of the community.
Recently I spent some time there to get to know and understand the café. I spoke to two volunteers by the names of Forest Violet and Maggie Grey.
I asked Violet and Maggie what it meant to her to be able to work in a space such as the query.
V: “It’s a good place to feel part of a community and to meet people as I live in Lewes where there are very limited LGBTQ+ spaces.”
M: “I think that the idea of the nuclear family and living in the suburbs and not going beyond the family unit is unnatural which is why you see online a lot of people leaning towards hate groups and thar’s because they’re yearning for a sense of community, and I feel that queer people need community to feel part of a community that maybe they don’t have. There’s a reason that when you walk in here you see the same faces every single time and its because we have created a space where people can be safe”.
The Queery is located on George Street in Brighton and welcomes anyone to spend time there with open arms.
