Have you ever wondered what Aberdeen has to offer for the LGBTQ+ community?
It’s no surprise to any queer folk who live in Aberdeen that our gay scene is pretty limited. But even though we have limited resources to offer in Aberdeen, it doesn’t mean you cannot have fun within our little city and reap the benefits of a small but loving community. For any LGBTQ+ newcomers to Aberdeen, people freshly out the closet, those who are still in the closet but who want to get involved within the community, those of you who have been out for a long time and now want to get a little more involved, or allies of our community – here is a (short) comprehensive list of the LGBTQ+ life within Aberdeen:
#1 Cheerz
Our little city has only one gay bar/club- Cheerz. Although small and cozy, this bar has been thriving for 22 years. Open 7 nights a week, Cheerz offers quiz nights, karaoke events, Drag acts, varying genres of music, and student nights- so you’ll never be pressed for a good night. I personally recommend checking this venue out on a Friday or Saturday night at around 12am with a group of friends.
#2 Aberdeen University LGBTQ+ & RGU LGBT+
Both of the universities in Aberdeen have LGBT+ societies which you should join and get involved with! They offer a range of activities such as nights out, quizzes, movie nights, afternoon tea events and even a book club. If you are interested in being a more involved member of the community then I recommend that you like and follow their pages on Facebook so you can stay up to date with the events that they are holding.
#3 Grampian Pride
It’s only been a year since its debut and Grampian Pride is Aberdeen’s yearly pride event in which LGBT+ people and allies take to the streets to be loud and proud of their or their friends and families identities. In its first year, Grampian Pride attracted thousands of people who marched in celebration of our community. Following its success, Grampian Pride will be returning to Aberdeen on the 25th May 2019, so add the date to your calendar – I expect to see you all there!
#4 LGBTQ+ inclusive societies
Sexpression is a society at the University of Aberdeen that aims to increase sexual education within the local schools. Obviously sexual health and education is important – and this society does a lot of work to help with that – but sexual- and gender-identity are topics that are often bypassed in sexual education. However, Sexpression actively work to be inclusive on their education so no one is excluded. The benefits of this are that no one is left out on learning about sexual- or gender identity, and it helps break the taboo surrounding sexual and gender minorities. I recommend you join this society as you can contribute to the education of teenagers on the importance of education surrounding the LGBT+ community.
The very online magazine that I am writing this article for – HerCampus Aberdeen – is another inclusive society that I recommend you join! We cover varying issues ranging from politics, current news in the media, product reviews, personal stories and much more. If you join our society, you could play a part in getting the community’s voice heard by its readers.
As you can see, Aberdeen’s LGBT+ life for students is rather limited, but this doesn’t mean it is any less valuable to our community. I recommend you check out some of the things mentioned above and get involved.