ALTERNATIVE GAY NIGHT

The dark nooks and free’n’easy hedonism of gay venues such as the Polo Lounge and CC Blooms aren’t for everyone. Queer Mutiny and Queeruption groups are springing up across the world. Their mission? To create alternatives to the commercial gay lifestyle.

Edinburgh’s newly minted Queer Mutiny is dedicated to creating a space for LGBT folks who are against consumerism, patriarchy and assimilation, or who don’t feel welcome in the capital’s existing gay spaces. Their remit is unashamedly radical: ‘We desire a radically new social arrangement, one based on cooperation and collective efforts, not hetero-capitalist competition,’ say the organisers. ‘We find that Edinburgh’s commercial gay scene is repressive to our sexualities, doesn’t create a space where we can express ourselves, and seems to be a space created purely to make money out of us.’

The first event will include a screening of the 2005 asylum-themed film Fremde Haut (pictured), followed by free food, music, dancing, BYOB and the chance to chat about the organisation. It’s hoped that further activity and discussion groups will emerge from this pilot event, so if you’re keen to get involved in creating a new place for LGBT people to hang out and get active in the capital, get yourself down there.

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