DIVA sat down with the founder of Lesbian Island to learn more
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE FROM LESBIAN ISLAND
It’s no secret that queer nightlife is in flux right now. On the one hand, we’re hearing terrifying headlines about over 120 LGBTQIA+ nightlife venues closing down in London since 2006. But then there are some beacons of light. The last couple of years have seen a boom in lesbian-centred events and venues, with places like La Camionera and The Damsel opening up for sapphics specifically. Event nights like Butch Please, Gal Pals and Lesbian Island are creating regular spaces for us to mingle. But what’s actually happening behind the scenes? And how are the people behind these incredible nights actually fairing?
I met Anna, the founder of Lesbian Island, last year at a speed dating event she was hosting. Lesbian Island is an oasis for queer women. With club nights, dating events and even game nights, Anna has created a space for sapphics to find community in London. Having always been a bartender – including working at the infamous Manchester bar Vanilla – Anna started Lesbian Island as a one-off lesbian night at the bar she used to work at. The demand for a night like that was so big that she knew she had to carry on.
While the journey has been so rewarding, Anna reveals that it is “harder than I could have possibly thought”. For people outside of the event world, it may seem like these club nights happen with a click of a finger. But actually, Anna explains that obstacles like bars having a really high minimum spend can leave queer organisers out of pocket. “If you don’t hit the target [minimum spend on the bar], you have to cover it,” she adds.
As is the case with many venues in big cities, Anna has found that a lot of them are owned by big businessmen who aren’t that fussed about queer representation or helping people feel seen. “You’ve got to keep them on your side,” Anna reveals. “If you don’t hit your target on a night at one venue, chances are you won’t be able to work in that part of the city again.”
For Anna, one of the big things she aims to do is to keep ticket prices accessible to people. But with all the financial pressures of running the business, this has caused problems when being able to finance the events. “I don’t want to rip people off. I want to pay my performers enough. But I also don’t want people to think Lesbian Island is low-budget. It’s really hard.”
While there are a number of struggles facing queer events companies at the minute, Anna feels strongly that it’s important to keep going. “It’s a very dark time. It makes sense that people wouldn’t want to go out and celebrate. But what people don’t realise is that by not showing up to events, queer events won’t be able to survive.”
What does Anna wish more people were doing to support events companies like Lesbian Island? “Look for events thrown by a queer events organiser. Try to support queer events spaces.” And for venue spaces? “I would hope that more venues would be passionate about having queer events. Especially making space for events for lesbians.”
The road ahead still feels pretty long for Anna. She’s still battling to even find venues that will be appropriate for her nights. Encountering roadblocks at both LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA+ venues, it can all feel a bit hopeless at times. But Anna still remains positive. “There’s a lot of hope,” she tells me with a smile.
You can get a discount for the Lesbian Island Summer Party (1 August) by using the code DIVA (20% off any ticket or group deals). Find out more here.
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA+ media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
