As part of the Cardiff Pride: More Than A Month campaign, we attended Pride Cymru in Cardiff and spoke to young people about all things LGBTQ+ related. This blog shares their answers to the question ‘where are some LGBTQ+ safe spaces in Cardiff?’.
Queer Emporium
Tezni, 23 – I think the first thing that comes to mind because they’ve established themselves like that is the Queer Emporium. I imagine quite a lot of people have said that. You know they’ve really opened up a space for young LGBTQ+ members of the community to go. I’d say the Queer Emporium is probably the place to go in the town centre at the moment.
Matthew, 23 – The Queer Emporium is an obvious one!
Deaf Hub Wales
Tezni, 23 – You’ve also got lots of little community groups like these guys [Deaf Hub Wales]. They’re really good in terms of welcoming youth into the community.
Youth Services
Ron, 22 – Youth Services. I would like to think any like queer person feels welcome in the centres.
Maddie, 16 – And in a youth service-like club thing.
Sarah, 30 – Cardiff Youth Service. We’ve even got specific LBGTQ+ groups called the Umbrella Allies and we have a Discord server which has lots of queer kids who have found a community as well, so check it out as a space safe.
Chloe, 21 – There’s lots of stuff going on with Cardiff Youth Service and we’re all advocating to be as inclusive as possible. We’ve got an inclusion team and one of them is specifically promoting having groups for LGBT young people who are just coming together and just discussing whatever they wanna discuss. It doesn’t just have to be topics of LGBTQ+ people, it can be whatever they wanna discuss but in a space that they can claim as theirs.
Local cafés and bars
Matthew, 23 – I think people underestimate just going to their local café. Most of the cafés I go to at least, and bars and things, don’t have too much of a risk. They have like queer members [of staff] working there like Tiny Rebel and Barkers. Anyway, I think people underestimate the locals and the small indie brands.
Mollie, 22 – And I would also say that Live Lounge is pretty alright most of the time. And Misfits in Cathays is also a pretty good bar for Queer people.
Pride Cymru
Maddie, 16 – Here, at Pride.
Chloe, 21 – Hmm, I think that definitely Pride is a major one.
Gay clubs
Tess, 22 – In Cardiff, a lot of the clubs always feel really safe. I feel like every time I go everyone is so friendly and it’s such a nice place to go. It’s nice to have a space where you know it’s like aimed toward queer people and you go and it’s nice to have other people looking out for you, so yeah, I think that definitely. All the clubs.
Lizzie, 22 – [There’s] a lot of good like clubs and stuff. Spaces where queer people can be expressive.
Abi, 23 – The gay bars. Kings and Pulse. They’re very safe spaces and you can be who you wanna be there so they’re great.
Cardiff Creative
Carenza, 20 – It sounds weird because it’s not wholly LGBT but Cardiff Creative. It’s full of small businesses and a lot of them are LGBT. There is a lot of LGBT community-based stuff in there. It’s really nice.
Related Information
Want more from the Cardiff Pride: More Than A Month campaign? Visit the campaign introduction.
Check out TheSprout’s LGBTQ+ information page where you can find loads of useful info on local and national LGBTQ+ support services.
If you’re sharing our posts from the Cardiff Pride: More Than A Month campaign on social media, remember to use the #MoreThanAMonth hashtag and tag us.
