BLACK QUEER CITIZENS

CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES – CHAMPIONING SOLIDARITY

...BY 2026

Black Queer men have direct access to relevant skills training, development opportunities, and learning networks shaped by them and according to their needs – leading to greater participation in civil society leadership and governance

"Policymakers should consider whether neighbourhood is the right unit of measurement for citizens’ wellbeing, or whether a focus on ‘left behind areas’ is a distraction from addressing the needs of left behind people, as inequalities within areas are ignored. If neighbourhood is the prime unit, then how can different attitudes to neighbourhood best be accommodated? Is it by

  1. changing neighbourhoods, for example by supporting group clustering through community-led housing for Black queer people, similar to that being developed by L&Q and London Older Lesbians;

  2. seeking to change attitudes among Black queer men, building their skills, capacity, and confidence to participate locally; or

  3. changing local infrastructure organisations to make them more welcoming and open to difference?

We believe that there will be benefits in a mix of all three approaches."


FIRST STEPS – 2022

Develop governance cohort and support their leadership

Address the organisational weaknesses around governance by inviting a group of potential and existing leaders into collaboration and then opening applications for defined roles on board

strengthen civil society connections

BLKOUT engages with LGBT Consortium, Ubele, Culture Health and Wellbeing Alliance, and Pride London to build stronger civil society networks

COMMUNITY LAND trust/model shared ownership

Support a group of volunteers from BLKOUT UK to partner with other London based LGBTQ organisations to explore and develop options for collaborative innovation in housing provision

ONLINE COURSES

Create/adopt a model for sharing online courses developed by us and for us – establishing a core curriculum of knowledge and structure that enables staggered start dates for potential BLKOUT Collective freelancers and other participants in governance/administration of the organisation

BLKOUT_HUB Networks

500 Black Queer Men access support and contribute to building active and supportive networks

A further 1,500 receive regular, targeted information and encouragement to participate when ready to do so