What we’re about
We are a safe, friendly, social environment for bisexual, biromantic, pansexual/romantic, polysexual, queer, fluid or other non-monosexual people (aka. m-spec, bi+). Bi-curious / questioning people and supportive partners, friends, allies also welcome: but please learn & understand (at least) the basics - don't ask the same biphobic questions we get outside this safer space or make equivalent assumptions of anyone here.
Come make bi+ friends, hang out, chat, have fun; see, learn and take part in some bi / LGBT+ culture, history, and activism; and feel part of a community in a (usually) free-to-attend, casual informal environment.
🟣 What do we do?
* Events
Most are social informal chatty hangouts on weekday evenings. We've always had monthly pub drinks evening in Soho on the same fourth Thursday (18+ age limit). Online events replace in-person when necessary (via Zoom/our Discord) without the age limit; the link is set as the location (sometimes in the event description).
Turnout is strong - reliably 40 or more for the in-person monthly bar socials pre-pandemic, usually 10-30ish for most other official meets, online socials tend to be smaller.
Others include clubbing nights, or regular cultural events (usually run by others but listed here for us to go to as a group) - e.g. cabaret/comedy/plays. In summer, picnics and walks, and we want to get back to the occasional dinner out too.
Several regular events are shared here from other London bi groups/organisers, e.g. Bi Underground, Bi Coffee, Opening Doors' Bi the Way meets, and (less-regular) the BiCHE dance club night & CaBiRet.
Members can suggest events too (but we'll remove+ban spammers of irrelevant commercial events; ask first) - either you can run them or an organiser may help if they have time/motivation. We prefer you've previously attended our own events, so we both know what to expect.
We also publicise, attend, and run groups / sessions at the largest local/national bi events and Prides like BiCon, Pride in London, London BiFest, Croydon and other local Prides (10 of them in 2019 including London, Croydon, Para Pride, Black Pride and Trans Pride).
We now have a Discord server under the group's name for text chat/updates between events (the Discord invite link is in your introduction email when you join, sometimes in event descriptions, or ask the organisers).
* Merch!
We support bi creators through our/their merch in our online shop.
🟣 Join in / Support Us!
Join and RSVP to try us out!
Besides our meetups, we invite you to follow and engage with our social network accounts for other discussions and what the organiser gets up to outside the group, plus wider community things (if you partake)!
See links page (bottom of): https://campsite.bio/londonbi
* Shop
Consider buying bi+/trans/pride/intersecting-identity supporting products (merch) or donating at our shop: https://londonbisexualsmeetup.sumup.link/
Organiser John produces the high quality, well-loved bi & trans pride full-size umbrellas ☂ (limited stock, no bi ones for now); via shop (above).
* Donations
Organiser John covers Meetup/other service fees out-of-pocket (can afford to); but appreciates help for extra costs (e.g. pride stalls often need insurance, travel/material/equipment/volunteer costs) – donate via cash/card at our pub socials/some other events, via ko-fi online; or even PayPal directly, by request.
🟣 Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility
People of all abilities, religions, sexualities, ethnicities and genders welcome as long as you respect other members, their identities, and appearance. Some regular events require ability to use stairs and will have background music/noise.
🟣 Rules
• Keep your main profile picture for this group 'family-friendly' or you will be removed or (for repeated/unfixed offences) banned; we are not a swingers or nudists group. You get one warning ever (by private message), ~ 1 week to fix it (and offers of help if needed).
• Don't be a dick! ie. Respect others, especially their privacy, at all times. e.g. get permission for photos, & what you'll do with them; don't "out" anyone without permission; try to assume good intent – you don't know what (else) is going on in people's lives. Disabilities & mental health struggles are not always visible/obvious.
• Abuse at events or via Meetup messages/actions will not be tolerated (organisers may need to be notified, they cannot see your private messages). Infractions will lead to the perpetrator's removal from the event+group, possibly a ban; reports presumed honest until evidence otherwise. Trivial first instances (level decided by target of abuse or representative if available) may be warned instead. Meetup also has ways to block/report users in messages or via profiles.
🟣 Final Notes & Conventions
80% of getting anything out of being a member is about showing up and taking part, so turn up to a few events (or offer to run one - anything social, the main organiser John/others may offer help). You're sure to have fun! No need to be nervous about anything sexual, as its a regular social group; report and block anyone who is behaving inappropriately.
* Commercial event to advertise? - talk to the organiser first. Spam not tolerated - we block & remove it a.s.a.p.
* Show/researcher/casting agent wanting people? We have a Discord channel for that, or discuss with the organiser / post to our FB page.
* Member stars! Some members have 1-2 star(s) '★' under their name (in their title), they celebrate our best contributing and reliable members (who've run great events/are an activist here or externally); or a black mark '∎' hints of a failure to respect the group - e.g. not turning up for a limited-space ticketed event without letting us know or apologies, and shouldn't be relied on as much. Black marked members will not have guaranteed space at any limited-ticket event until they redeem themselves (getting the mark removed) by showing up enough, and would not be trusted to run events.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Join London Trans+ Pride 2024Langham Place by BBC Studios & All Souls Church, London
London Trans Pride creates a space for the London trans, non-binary, intersex and gender nonconforming communities to come together to celebrate their identities, connect, educate, and fight for rights.
⚫ Expected Schedule:
Comment/ask here to find us, or look for trans pride umbrellas (one other design exists, but is rare). Bi Pride UK (charity) have marched as a group in past years; to join them, see their social media for meeting point.- 1pm: Langham Place (Marylebone, W1B 3D), outside the BBC and All Soul’s Church (altered to avoid Trafalgar Square due the right-wing protest there)
- Expect pre-march talks
- ~2-3pm: Protest march sets off (once road closures in place) down Regents St (southbound); arrive well in time
- March Oxford St to Piccadilly (usu. pausing at Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain @ Piccadilly Circus, tube access)
- Veers west to Wellington Arch, (usu. pausing at Statue of Diana @ Green Park, seating, tube access)
- Finishes Hyde Park Corner, W1J 7JZ
- Speeches, performances - mostly trans/intersex people
Allies: show up! Add chanting voices & presence to boost numbers and experience this space without taking it over. Show solidarity, learn from talks, build community/make friends, support it any way you can. Even if you can't attend in person: donate, share posts about it, talk about it to friends. Normalise transgender experiences - don't let it be a taboo or erased. Counter the erasure or negativity from most traditional media sources. Invite other allies too. But don't speak for or over trans/intersex people, especially not disabled trans/people of colour or other minorities. Bring people from your social groups, your friends, your family, who believe in safety for all or to learn.
Can't spot us? (busy, crowded space): be safe, look after yourself. A small group of us often walk towards the back of the march but we're not a monolith.
⚫ Tips / Bring:
Bring any of:
* masks (dense crowds!) as appropriate - guessing most won't be, but Covid is still around
* Placards, banners: short & snappy phrases in big plainly-drawn letters, contrasting colours (not too many) from their background, are most impactful & easiest to read from a distance/in photos
* water / snacks
* sunscreen / sunhat, thin clothing layers
* required medication - especially if you'll be away from facilities a whileDon't litter! If bins full, take it home/find another (a securely-sealable rucksack/bag to carry anything too big for pockets).
John's old Pride tips page.
⚫ Travel/Accessibility:
Public transport: bus stops nearby. The march pauses with space to sit (improvised at Piccadilly Circus, around the statue) as mentioned above, and toilets (albeit pay-to-use) at Green Park with a Tesco + M&S opposite; the Arch has accessible toilets and BSL interpreters. Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly line) has step-free platform access. More on this FB post / this Instagram.⚫ Background:
Trans rights are basic human rights that cisgender people also expect. Trans people deserve them too. They're intrinsically connected to all rights: women's, abortion, children's rights. Bodily autonomy is core to all! Denying them to any groups allows denial to others too (& noone can reliably tell who is trans by looks, actually).If trans people & questioning of (false) gender binaries/ stereotypes/ cis-hetero normativity (patriarchy) are restricted, other LGBTQ+ identities & all women are at risk. Right-wing attacks never stop at the most marginalised groups; they're leverage to chip away at until the next-most marginalised group is suitable fodder. Transphobia also harms cis girls/women, and everyone else to varying degrees - especially if they don't fit traditional patriarchal ideals. It especially worsens gender-non-conforming & LGBT+ people's lives in general.
[* footnote link has more].Follow/read (multiple!) trans activists to learn, especially racially marginalised/disabled/non-binary/other multiply targeted activists!
⚫ More Info:
A sober event; for all ages.
Pride Facebook Event, or Facebook page/group with details.
Instagram (@londontranspride).Help/questions? Email londontranspride@gmail.com.
[* footnote: our gayhate page linking anti-gay lies of past decades with GC/TERF/transphobia. Follow+boost trans activists!]
- Waltham Forest Pride 2024Fellowship Square & Fountain, London
Waltham Forest Pride is back! A free (ticketed) event by ELOP (have tickets ready, gate-checked in 2022): community & food/drink stalls, picnic space, speakers, cabaret + more at the Town Hall.
Grab a picnic pitch, check out the stalls, & from 5pm watch the entertainment! Street food/drink from stalls/shops (don't bring own alcohol on-site). Can you help at our stall a while too?
🟣 Schedule:
3-8pm: info/community/food stalls, alongside street entertainment, picnic pitches, and water-fountain shows (ground level, on a regular schedule, with added lighting).Stalls with activities/information, food & drink.
Performances from 5pm include:
* Bollyqueer dancers
* Mayumi Fukiko
* Sound Manifesto
* Luspinda Hoops
* Tim Tation Manny
* Clare Summerskill
* Electric Landladies.Fun activities to join in - Hoola Hoop, Workouts & more.
Breakfasts, food/drinks, and after-partying/entertainment around Walthamstow (some towards Stratford/Leyton area) also makes a special effort for the day.
🟣 Tickets:
Via the Waltham Forest website at:
walthamforest.gov.uk/events/waltham-forest-pride
(details & ticketing at TicketSource).A (free) barcode is needed for entry via Forest Road to get a wristband; via phone or print it, libraries can often print (or John could print/send/arrange entry, ask here at least 3 days ahead).
🟣 Travel:
123 bus's Town Hall stop is closest public transport stop, at the green in front of Square (gates into square are just beyond the stop).
Walthamstow Central station is on Overground, also Victoria line northern terminus. Town Hall+gardens ~17 minutes walk at typical pace from the station (or bus some of it, as below).
Blackhorse Road station is on Overground - then bus 123 (from stop BD) direct to Town Hall stop (3 mins), or ~30 mins typical walk east, away from the river Lea. Or slower bus 34/215/75 via underground station first, as per below.Busses 34/215/275 (via underground station stop C) or 97/357 (stop W), is 5 mins to Forest Road/Bell Corner then walk on, turning right, past Bell pub, to the green (6 mins).
Bus 212 via Church Hill (longer route), nearest stop The Drive (stop BX).Parking is free around the Town Hall (local residential streets) on Saturdays. Farnan Avenue side-road entrance for organisers/stallholders only.
🟣 Accessibility/Rules:
Expecting gender-neutral toilets on-site. Blue-badge parking in local residential roads; and on-site (limited). All performances signing-interpreted.
Smoking, glass, drugs prohibited in Square; do not bring alcohol in (is on sale). The fountain has its own rules (bathing/pets/cycles+scooters).Accessible toilets in Assembly/Town Halls (ramped access). More info at Accessible.co.uk page for it or email events@elop.org
🟣 Stalls:
We have a stall - come say hi, free stickers and stuff! Can you help out there a while? (even 15-30 minutes so we can toilet-break/snack; seats available, extra tickets, good way to meet lots of new people, can help with travel costs and give badge/flag(s) as thanks for notable help - ideally let me know ahead of time in comments or other messaging systems we use).Don't know 2024 details yet, but 2022 had ELOP (+face painting), Sexual Health Outreach (free condoms, sex health info), The Body People (Health, wellbeing, group exercise classes + free vouchers), Mile Rainbow (health, wellbeing consulting, emotional intelligence, life science, acupressure, ...), Leyton Orient Trust (health/wellbeing education, youth, social action), Met Police LGBT+ Advisors, St. Andrews church (C of E), Adult Learning Service (info+arts workshop - print a tote bag), WF Employment, Business & Skills
Volunteering opportunities: email: volunteer@elop.org.
🟣 Around the Borough
Here all day/weekend? Based on 2022, suggestions:
Friday night - Trans Pride at the Trades Hall, Drag/80s Music Bingo at Pixie's Bar with Victoria SpongeSaturday Morning/Afternoon
9.30am Gleaners (vegan) cafe breakfast
— 458 Hoe Street, E17 9AH (between underground & town hall)
12pm-4pm Disco Brunch at The Collab
— 198 Hoe Street, E17 4BF🟣 More Info:
Run by East London Outside Project - Elop (instagram @elop_lgbt), plus Gay Walthamstow, Waltham Forest Pride.
Socials: @wfpride (Twitter/Instagram) / Elop's Facebook.
Email: walthamforestpride@gmail.com - Discover: Bi Women Games, Snacks & Wine Night [other group] £Needs location
One of the newer London bi groups around is a weekly games and wine women's night on Thursdays. We're posting it here too (but only once-monthly) to help you discover them - but RSVPs here aren't official. There is a £5 fee to cover costs (such as Meetup subscription, host-provided food) and you're asked to bring food/drink (e.g. snacks/wine) if you can to help out.
They're hosted personally by the group organiser, Francesca, so new attendees are vetted first by them (sign-up via her own Meetup group for it) and there is limited space. Some more details below to help you decide...
Its also posted on Eventbrite and elsewhere, the group has a presence on Facebook and Instagram and others too - check out the ways you can keep up via their (linktree) links page.
You only get the exact address once your RSVP is accepted and must be watching messages (DMs) about it from them/the group leading up to the event. Very limited spaces!
Location: on Bedford Avenue, London WC1B 3AD
(a 3-minute walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station).
Time: every Thursday, 7.30pm
Reminder: RSVP (ON THEIR GROUP) is mandatory to attend. - Brighton & Hove Pride 2024 - ParadeAngel of Peace statue, Hove Lawns Brighton, Hove
Brighton & Hove Pride is one of the top Pride festivals in the UK. Its on from 3-4 August with the Parade on Saturday 3rd, starting at 11am.
Bi Pride UK are marching in the parade; to join them, email Rob to ask. Or you can hang out and watch or participate in other ways.
More info via the website: brighton-pride.org (parade details here).
Following information copied from 2018, expecting the same but please check/let me know in comments/by message if not!
The parade starts down on Hove Lawns/seafront in the morning from 11am and ends up at Preston Park, passing by the Clock Tower in the centre of town, on the way. (That's a different clock tower in Preston Park itself!)
The parade is free to walk in or watch, but tickets are needed for the event/music in Preston Park afterwards and separate wrist bands for the clubbing area in Kemptown - via their ticket website, 50% concessions are available. But there are plenty of other bars/pubs/restaurants outside that zone. And of course, the pier and seafront, if the weather's ok.
"Brighton Bothways" has been the bi group there for decades but may no longer exist in any real sense. Bi Pride UK would really appreciate you joining to march as there isn't usually a large specific bi presence (as I understand) - under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, message them to ask. While there are a number of bi/pan flags visible in other groups they don't stand out like a single group.
Brighton is a nice day-trip distance from London so easier to visit, at an hour from Victoria by train then 15-20minutes to Preston Park where its held. Walking groups are limited to 25 people, existing groups may have space to join them. I expect joining the BiPride UK group is the best way.
DON'T meet at the clock tower unless you've arranged it independently (I just chose a location in the park already known to meetup).
There's an online/printed Guide available online or from various gay venues in London (eg. some bars, shops with community group/support leaflets) and Brighton/Hove; online. DO comment here with more information or suggestions if you plan to go and where you'll be, both beforehand and on the day.
🟣 More Info:
Twitter: PrideBrighton / Instagram: brightonprideofficial / YouTube: brightonandhovepride / Bi Pride UK for walking group.