London could soon be getting a dedicated LGBT community centre after a crowdfunder campaign raised more than £58,000 (Picture: London LGBTQ+ Community Centre/ Eivind Hansen)

London could soon be getting a dedicated LGBT community centre after a crowdfunder campaign raised more than £58,000.

Campaigners have said they aim to create a ‘safe and secure’ space for members with the centre, which would be the first London since a similar one was closed in the 1990s.

Ola Awosika, 36, from Bethnal Green, told the Evening Standard that he felt inspired to get involved in the project when he learned the capital had nothing like it.

He said: ‘I remember being in school and being heavily bullied for being gay, and not really having any resources or anybody to turn to.




‘It would’ve been amazing to have had a centre which I could have gone to as a young LGBT person, just to meet other people who were in the same situation and to meet elders.’

On their Crowdfunder page, the organisers say: ‘The word “community” is hard to define. For some, it’s a common geography, a shared history or passion that brings a group of people together.

They managed to smash their initial target of £50,000 with six days of the campaign still to go (Picture: London LGBTQ+ Community Centre/ Eivind Hansen)

‘For LGBTQ+ folks, it’s who we are. For us, community can be a lifeline.

‘We’ve come a long way since homosexuality was partially decriminalised 50 years ago, but the fight for equality doesn’t stop there.

‘Because of the tireless work of activists and campaigning groups over decades, we’re finally, boldly, out of the closet. But now, in 2018 and standing on the shoulders of giants, we want to come out of the shadows too.

‘Our community, like every other, deserves a space that’s safe and secure to lay down roots ‘

It has received backing from Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbot, but still has yet to confirm a permanent location, but hope to find somewhere in Hackey to lay down their roots.

‘We’ve come a long way since homosexuality was partially decriminalised 50 years ago, but the fight for equality doesn’t stop there’ (Picture: London LGBTQ+ Community Centre/ Eivind Hansen)

They have the backing of shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott (Picture: London LGBTQ+ Community Centre)

They managed to smash their initial target of £50,000 with six days of the campaign still to go, and have extended the target to £75,000 in the hope of helping even more people.

They say the centre will include a cafe, work space, and clinical space where people can have sexual health tests and counselling sessions.

Molly Mulready, a 38-year-old lawyer from Hackney, said her 12-year-old son came out as trans and has already benefited from the events that have been held to help raise money.

They say the centre will include a cafe, workspace, and clinical space where people can have sexual health tests and counselling sessions(Picture: London LGBTQ+ Community Centre)

They haveyet to confirm a permanent location, but hope to find somewhere in Hackey to lay down their roots(Picture: London LGBTQ+ Community Centre)

She said: ‘He’s been able to meet trans people who are older than him and a bit further along with the experience of being out and trans than he is.

‘So he’s been able to speak to them about the practical and emotional challenges of being trans.’

To support the campaign please visit their Crowdfunder.

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