LGBT Charities: Under Pressure

In recent months, an alarming number LGBT charities have been forced to shut their doors, with many others looking set to follow suit. Last month, Pace, a London-based charityworking on LGBT mental health unexpectedly shut up shop. Just last week, the UK's only LGBT domestic violence charity, Broken Rainbow, announced that it is once again facing closure. Now Mosaic Youth, a North London charity supporting young LGBT people with counselling, mentoring and a youth club will become the next victim.

As ever, the picture is even bleaker outside the confines of London. Since 2010, the number of LGBT youth groups in the North West run by local councils has dropped by a staggering 58%. Of the 35 charities once providing invaluable support to struggling queers, only 15 remain.

LGBT service providers aren't just comforting yet irrelevant safety nets now that #LoveWins. They're the ones supporting the trans kids driven to suicide by brutal, state-sanctioned hatred. They're the ones who are helping queers cope with the stigma of HIV as the pandemic rages on. They're the ones rescuing people of all genders and sexualities from life-threatening domestic abuse. They aren't a privilege, or a relic of a bygone era. They're saving lives on a daily basis...
Michael Segalov and Edward Siddons, Vice.