OUT&ACTIVE

The Power Of Neutral Ground

For the LGBTQIA+ community, existence itself is often politicised. From marriage rights to healthcare access, to the simple act of walking hand in hand with a partner, queer lives are too frequently debated in parliaments, newsrooms, and comment sections. While political advocacy remains vital to securing our rights and protections, it can also be deeply exhausting. That’s why it’s so important to cherish and protect the rare spaces where people can simply be. Spaces that are joyful, ordinary, and defiantly apolitical.

At Out & Active, we believe in a truly open-door policy. Come exactly as you are. No exceptions. Your religion, your politics, your background — none of that matters here. What matters is fun, friendship, and connection. To some, this approach might seem overly simple or even a little controversial, as if we’re not doing “enough” for the community. And while we accept that our community is constantly under fire, we also know that people need balance. We want to offer space to step away from the weight of activism and scrutiny, and instead focus on joy, connection, and community. Even the fiercest soldiers need a place to lay down their armour.

Here in the North, it comes with its own added complications. Politics has long seeped into the fabric of daily life. Our histories, our streets, and even our identities have often been marked by division. By questions of allegiance, by which football shirt you wear, where you went to school, or even where you keep your toaster. For queer people, this adds another layer. Our community doesn’t sit neatly within traditional divides, yet we’re still impacted by them. Too often, our spaces end up overshadowed by broader political exist outside of all the noise.

Northern Ireland, with its history of division, makes these spaces even more important. We all know how heavy politics can be here. We’ve all grown up in a place where questions of identity are everywhere, where assumptions are made about you based on the smallest details. Apolitical spaces cut through all that. They give baggage and simply be together. They let us breathe. They let us laugh. They let us imagine a community not built on division, but on connection.

That’s why apolitical spaces feel so refreshing. They remind us that queer experience is not defined solely by resistance. While resilience is part of our story, it’s not the whole story. Queer life should also be about building chosen families, sharing daft and silly moments, creating memories, celebrating the ordinary just as much as the extraordinary, and remembering that the freedom to live openly in small, everyday ways is just as precious as the big, loud moments.

These kinds of spaces matter here because they allow us to imagine and practise that kind of life together. They show us that our community has the power to carve out joy even in a place shaped so heavily by division. They prove that we are not defined only by the politics around us, but by the connections we create, the love we share, and the futures we hope to build together.

And honestly, it’s often the smallest things that make the biggest impact. Someone comes along to an Out & Active event feeling nervous, not knowing a soul, and by the end they’re chatting away like they’ve been part of the group for years and making plans with their new friends. Someone tries an activity they thought wasn’t “for them” and ends up loving it, immersing themselves in the world of sport. A world they once felt was never open to them. People who would never have crossed paths in daily life find themselves side by side on a walk, laughing at the same joke, or encouraging each other through a challenge. These are ordinary moments, but they’re powerful. They show that connection doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs the right environment to grow.

That ripple effect spreads far beyond the event itself. When people feel that sense of belonging, they carry it back into their everyday lives. Into their families, their workplaces, their other social circles. It boosts confidence, builds resilience, and reminds us that we’re part of something bigger. And that matters, because it strengthens the whole community.

Apolitical spaces are not some luxury that only a few need access to. They’re a necessity. Without them, we risk burning out under the constant pressure of activism. With them, we thrive. They allow us to recharge, to enjoy ourselves, and to remember that joy is its own kind of protest. When we come together without the weight of division, we show others — both inside and outside the LGBTQIA+ community — that unity and belonging are not only possible, but powerful and sacred. We prove that activism takes many forms. Sometimes it’s holding a placard, and sometimes it’s as simple as showing up for one another with kindness, free from judgement.

And let’s not forget the important part. They’re good craic. These spaces are where you can try something new without feeling out of place, where you can laugh until your cheeks hurt, where you can meet people who just get it. They’re where you realise that being part of this community isn’t only about surviving struggle. It’s also about celebrating each other, making memories, and supporting one another to thrive.

So when we talk about the importance of neutral ground, of apolitical spaces, we’re not talking about avoiding reality. We’re talking about creating new realities, even just for a few hours, where our shared humanity comes first. Where we are more than politics, more than labels, more than the battles we fight, more than the accusations and comments thrown our way. Where we can simply be.

Out & Active is proud to hold that space and will continue to do so as long as we possibly can. Out & Active Care Home, anyone? We invite absolutely everyone to join us in making it bigger and better with every event. Because at the heart of it all, community isn’t about politics. It’s about us, the people.

See you at the next one, girlies x

By Gary McNevin & Sinéad Ross

Key points: PrEP is highly effective.

There are different ways to take PrEP - taking a pill every day is an option but there are other ways too.

Remember to have a sexual health screen every 3 months

Please call us on 028 703 46028

Please call or text us if you have any problems

Please visit these website for more information on PrEP: www.iwantprepnow.com or www.prepster.info

Key points:

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PrEP is highly effective.

Nhsct

Available at your Sexual Health Clinics in:

Available at your Sexual Health Clinics in:

Remember to have a sexual health screen every 3 months

There are different ways to take PrEP - taking a pill every day is an option but there are other ways too.

BALLYMENA

MAGHERAFELT

Causeway

Causeway Hospital

4 Newbridge Road

4 Newbridge Road

BT43 6HL Ballymena COLERAINE

BALLYMENA

Braid Valley Site

Cushendall

Braid Valley Site

MAGHERAFELT

BT52 1HS

Cushendall Road

BT52 1HS

Coleraine

Coleraine

Mid Ulster Hospital 59 Hospital Road BT45 5EX Magherafelt

Mid Ulster Hospital 59 Hospital Road

Remember to have a sexual health screen every 3 months

Please call or text us if you have any problems

BT45 5EX Magherafelt

Tel: 07384 820 826 • E-mail: sexualhealth@northerntrust.hscni.net

Please call or text us if you have any problems

Tel: 07384 820 826 • E-mail: sexualhealth@northerntrust.hscni.net

Please visit these website for more information on PrEP: www.iwantprepnow.com or www.prepster.info

Please visit these website for more information on PrEP: www.iwantprepnow.com or www.prepster.info

NHSCT HIV prevention

NHSCT HIV prevention

Available at your Sexual Health Clinics in:

NHSCT HIV prevention

Available at your Sexual Health Clinics in:

NHSCT HIV prevention

COLERAINE

Available at your Sexual Health Clinics

Causeway Hospital

4 Newbridge Road

BT52 1HS Coleraine

Tel: 07384 820 826 •

Braid Valley Site

Braid Valley Site

Cushendall Road

Braid Valley Site

Mid Ulster Hospital 59 Hospital Road

Cushendall Road

BT43 6HL

BT45 5EX

Braid Valley Site

Cushendall Road BT43 6HL

Ballymena

BT43

Cushendall Road BT43 6HL