Questionnaire

I like the website. I think communities sounds better than community, which suggests a homogenous whole rather than recognising and valuing the diversity within. At the same time the idea of a community/ies sounds appealing – a place to have a home. It is hard to feel the community – it feels nebulous at times and yet when one goes to events which are designed for LGBT like Pride or the recent gay fringe festival in east london, the community is visible and this feels reaffirming.

I think this community/ies like all, share as many differences as similarities, perhaps the problems start to occur if one sees community as being about sameness.

If the communities come from anywhere perhaps it has been about sharing adversity and then valuing ourselves and our experiences when so many others do not.

In a shadowy way, the communities have been there as a reminder, a recognition and a validation of self.
Sarah

1. Eleanor Formby says:

   June 18, 2012 at 12:34 pm

   Hi,
   Glad you like the website and thanks for your thoughts!

   Reply
2. Mickie says:

   February 4, 2013 at 12:47 pm

   Hi Sarah

   I couldn’t agree more when you said that “It is hard to feel the community – it feels nebulous at times.”

   When I think of myself and communities the phrase “the only gay in the village” pops to mind. The only sense of any form of gay community in my town is the one gay bar and pride in the summer. Other than that, we seem almost invisible. We need pride to remind everyone else that they do actually have gay people in their town.

   It also doesn’t help that I do live almost 10 miles from town and so can feel very isolated.

   Chances are I am not the only one in the village. But it’s how to find them!?

   What I have done is set up an online community for gay women in my town and surrounding areas which seems to be doing well.

   I think sometimes we, as individuals, have to be the ones to do the reaching out as opposed to waiting for the community to do it for you.

   Reply