Feel like you’ve had a productive year? Sorry to burst your bubble, but It’s probably nothing compared to Queer Edge.
This East London queer collective has blossomed from a one- off party to a community group that puts on panel discussions, helps people find queer services through its directory and even has its own co-working space.
GLL speaks to our cover stars founder, one of the busiest people in East London, EJ Nutbrown!
Queer Edge’s Founder, EJ NutbrownTell us a bit about yourself and how Queer Edge came to be.
I’m EJ, I run a small marketing agency for work and started Queer Edge as a passion project, inspired by several different things. I was finding gay nightlife and the gay scene a bit segregated. I totally understand why that’s happened when you look at our history and what we’ve had to fight for to get here, but I believe that we live in a society that’s progressive enough to move forward from that now. So instead of going raving and seeing crowds predominantly full of gay guys, or events hosted predominantly for lesbians (usually in a basement) we created something that brings everyone together, a genuinely all-inclusive space, for guys, girls, they’s, trans, bi’s, pans, poly, whatever — we are all one!
Instead of just bitching about the issue, I used my marketing background to do something about it. It started as a low-key party which I popped on the gram. We didn’t know what to expect, but there were queues outside the door, which just goes to show the demand was there.
The events were self-funded last year, so I introduced a pay-what-you-can admission option to help fund the events and raise money for members of the community and other LGBTQ+ charities. At the same time, this keeps the ticket price as low as the crowd wants to ensure our spaces are accessible for everyone. This was the turning point which meant there could be a sustainable future for QE.
So how did it expand so quickly?
We saw the popularity of the party and thought maybe there’s something in this, so we went monthly. I’m there at every party in the crowd, meeting everyone and listening to the community’s wants. That’s how we keep getting new ideas. For example, the parties used to finish at midnight, but a lot of people wanted to keep going, so we introduced QE Late, which happens every other month at Number 90, open till 3am. Then recently some people have said they like the community element but they’re not keen on the club scene and want something a bit more wholesome. So we started QE Live, which is a midweek event with live music and entertainment.
Another one is The Queer Pages. Somebody came up to me and asked if I knew a gay DIY person, which made me think. This is a hypothetical example, but say you’re a trans woman who lives alone, and a cis straight guy comes in, misgenders you, and makes you feel uncomfortable in your own home — why isn’t there a safe way to find people and businesses to avoid this scenario? That’s why we built the Queer Pages where people can easily find queer businesses, freelancers and whoever. It’s also a brilliant way to support local businesses!
These ideas have all come off the back of people who attend the parties and chipping in. For example, Chloe Mercer introduced herself to me at one of them saying she’s a coder, loves what we’re doing for the community and wants to help. She then built the directory and our website! Actually, that’s the best way of answering how we grew so quickly, it’s all down to the wonderful people within our community!
You’ve only been going a year, is there anything you’d like to do before your next birthday?
I have no idea. None of this was planned, but what we will do is keep listening to what people want. We’re getting phenomenal feedback which is the driving force. I could perhaps hint that a common request at the moment seems to be for a dating event! QE DATE kind of works.
Why do you think there’s a need for something like Queer Edge?
I wouldn’t say there’s a need but there’s clearly a thirst! It shows such a desire for people to come together. I’m a bit of a socialist and love the idea of communes and people working together, and it’s happening in practice with this. To give you an example, there’s a queer barber who has a pop-up in our co-working space. I can do their marketing for free and they can do my hair for free. It feels like the local queer community is really pulling together.
Find out more at queeredge.co.uk @qe_london
