It is not a shock that establishments such as bars, restaurants, museums, etc. have all been hit hard by the pandemic all over the world, forcing places to either close down temporarily or permanently.
One writer from PinkNews, Josh Milton, wrote up an interesting opinion piece on the importance of government taking action to protect LGBTQ+ venues before it’s too late. Titled, “LGBT+ Venues Just About Survived the First Lockdown – A Second Could Be Fatal,” he makes the case that these safe and sacred spaces won’t continue to exist without government help.
As the title says, LGBTQ+ venues simply won’t make it if a second lockdown is enforced.
Now anyone reading Milton’s essay might quickly brush off his pleas saying, “everyone’s been hit by the pandemic. Why would we just bail out LGBTQ+ venues?” And you’d be right in that comment; the government should help every business as much as they can.
But for LGBTQ+ people it’s a little different. For LGBTQ+ individuals these venues are safe spaces where the LGBTQ+ community can exist freely, without discrimination. Which is why it’s so important for our community to fight to keep these venues alive.
You can read the whole opinion piece here.