How to Start a Community Gay/Lesbian Group

Do you wish there were more social or political opportunities in your community? If everyone you know hangs out at the bar and complains, maybe you should consider creating your own gay and lesbian community organization. It's not as hard as you think!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Address Books
• Yellow Pages
• Telephones

1. Find out whether a gay and lesbian group already exits in your area. There's no point in recreating the wheel if that group is a success and might meet your needs. The Internet, the classifieds, bulletin boards and the local gay paper would all be good sources to check.

2. If you don't find anything, organize a get-together of your friends and friends' friends Discuss what you think the community needs; brainstorm. Solicit other people to join you in your undertaking.

3. Find a place to hold your first meeting and book it for your selected date and time. Church halls are often hospitable and reasonably priced venues. A side room in a local restaurant would also work. Take a look at it to make sure it's suitable.

4. Assemble a list of local press outlets (newspapers, radio and TV stations) and send each a press release announcing your first meeting, making sure you include a contact number in case they want to call you. Do this about 10 days before your event.

5. Use word of mouth to get more people to attend the meeting. Putting up flyers and taking out small personal ads can also be effective.

6. Sketch out how you are going to run the first meeting to maximize its impact and usefulness. Don't forget refreshments and any special information you might bring for the attendees. A questionnaire can be a fun and informative way of discovering people's interests.

7. Go to the meeting place early and make sure everything is set up properly, the lights are on, chairs are out and so on.

Tips & Warnings

• It's a good idea to attract or solicit volunteers who can handle publicity, provide refreshments and have experience running a group.
• Keep in mind what you are trying to accomplish (a successful, popular group) and keep moving toward your goal, gathering as many allies and co-workers as you can.
• Initially, you may "pass the basket" to get money for room rental, refreshments and other expenses.
• Early on, the group will spend lots of time deciding how it will be organized, how often the group will meet, what its goals will be and even its name. Ideally, as time goes on, more members of the community will be attracted, and your group will begin to take on a life of its own.
• You probably want to specify that your group is for adults. Like it or not, the wider community is more likely to accept your group if they understand that you are not looking for younger people.
• Rarely, a homophobic person may come to a meeting and try to hassle people. These types can usually be persuaded to leave or calm down. Having several strong men around can be effective at discouraging hostility. In case of a serious threat, call the police.