Queer Connected will help users find events, make their own community groups and match with new BFFs
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY BBC/ TWOFOUR
Imagine this: you’ve just found your dream LGBTQIA+ event. It’s even in your local area. The vibes seem impeccable, their social media is popping off, and everyone is talking about it. The catch? You’re nervous about going alone, and so you choose to sit this one out.
It’s a scenario that many LGBTQIA+ people face. Loneliness within the queer community can be rife, especially for those without a strong support system in place. And while new queer events are popping up around the country, for many people the fear of attending these solo is stopping them taking part.
This is something that I Kissed A Girl (IKAG) contestant Pippa Palmer knows all too well. Growing up in a predominantly straight, heteronormative area, Pippa didn’t have access to a queer friendship group. Finding community was one of their driving factors for going on the hit BBC dating show. And now, Pippa is hoping to help every queer person find their people through their new app Queer Connected.
Queer Connected aims to be a community hub for LGBTQIA+ people to make friends, attend events, read stories all about queer joy and even start their own local groups. “I had always searched ‘how to make queer friends’, but I could never see an easy, clear way to do it,” Pippa tells DIVA. “I didn’t have any queer friends until a year and a half ago, when I moved to East London. I met some queer friends by hosting this dinner party. It wasn’t until I’d made those friends that I realised just how important these friendships are.”
One of the key features of the app will be to promote FLINTA* (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender) events happening around the UK. By listing these events all in one place, Pippa hopes that queer people everywhere can find their new favourite night out, social group or local hangout. Events can also list themselves on the app, reaching even more people than before.
Pippa says, “I’ve tried to find events and massively struggled. Unless you’re following them on Instagram or happen to have it on your TikTok feed, a lot of the time you will never find these events.”
The app’s group page is also hoping to reach queer people in areas where there might not be pre-existing events. Users can make their own local groups, whether that be a yoga class, a book group or anything their heart desires. For Pippa, this is vital for building community outside nightlife. “Just do it. Sometimes, when finding your own queer community, you need to make that first step,” they explain. “As soon as you find one or two queer friends, it’s such a snowball.”
There’s also a friend-matching service on the app, similar to models like Bumble BFF, where users can connect. “Everyone who’s commented has said how needed they think the app is. There are already 1,000 people on the waitlist,” Pippa tells me.
And if that wasn’t enough for you, Queer Connected will also feature articles written by the queer community, for the queer community. This could span anything from coming out stories to detailed explorations of queer history.
You can find out more about Queer Connected by heading over to their Instagram page @queerconnected_, where you can also sign up to join the waitlist. The app will launch to waitlist members on 15 August.
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