We’ve just lost our space — 2 days before our event

[LCommunity]

We applied back in May to hold a small lesbian social at Potters Fields Park.
The Temporary Event Notice was approved.
Today, with only 2 days to go, they’ve pulled it.
Why?
Because the word lesbian appeared.
They’ve now called it “political”.
It wasn’t a protest. Just a chance for women to meet, sit outside, and build some safe space.
Their lease bans “religious or political” events. Somehow, a lesbian meet-up has been put in that category.
We’re not cancelling. We’ll simply move to the public pavement just outside the park.

If anyone’s curious or wants to understand more, full details are here: https://thelcommunity.com/pavement-bar/

Ooh, harsh. However I can see both sides.

Situation A arose, which never ever should and is really unfair.

Your events are a response to that, and are being widely publicised, so I can see that it may appear to be a protest to being denied the space you should have had.

How is it a religious or political event?
Absolutely ridiculous 😵‍💫

I can see that the event is not a political event - however, it was set up in response to / in protest against the decision to not allow the original space (railway arches IIRC), which I can understand them classifying therefore as political...

Wars can be won strategically, but there will still be skirmishes and battles to fight...

It's bitterly unfair.

I'm so sorry that your event has been cancelled with no notice. It does sound like they're genuinely sorry but have their hands tied. It sucks though.

Do they think lesbians are some sort of order of nuns ?

I suppose I can see their point of view. Lesbians meeting up without male supervision has become a controversial politically charged issue, even if it bloody shouldn't be.
They're still wrong.

That’s shit, so sorry.
so if you can’t have a lesbian picnic, what kind of event could you have? A ladies’ tea dance? A women only knitting and beer festival? Women only tiddlywinks competition? Women only menopause information festival?
Or is anything women only now political?

They’ve made it ‘political’.
discriminating against a social event for lesbians in Pride month of all times, for shame.

Its only political if you are a TRA or an institution that has been transed.

I wonder if they would have taken the same decision if the event was just for gay men. ie biological men who are sexually attracted to biological men.

I bet they wouldn't.

I would say this is double discrimination. On the protected characteristics of sex and sexuality.

Have you tried contacting the LGB Alliance for advice and / or support.

Not sure who else has the clout to get them to work with due equality.

Have they explained why it was first said to be okay and now isn't?

Or if you dont mind doing it, contact the Telegraph. Might seem strange but they have been good about publicising events or situations where women, lesbians have been discrimiated against.

Will JKR back you to sue them?

Good point. Definitely worth looking into.

i fear that going down that path would be seen to make it ‘political’.

It didn't start out as political. It was and is a social event.

The attempt to block it is political and so there is no other way than using tools available to object to this political decision.

I think you can challenge that decision, as “political” in that context would usually mean party political, eg a rally promoting one party.

It doesn’t mean anything that could be the subject of political debate, as that could cover almost anything. For example, I saw a dance show in that same rough area that was all about gay/lesbian couples in ballroom dance.

When people talk of the homophobia of the trans movement, it's often heard as an exaggeration akin to the 'trans genocide' rhetoric on the other side of the debate. But as this case illustrates, it is a literal attempt to invoke law and regulation to prevent public, same-sex gatherings of women. Immediately before the SC ruling lesbians had greater state disapprobation than they did in the mid 20th century. That's not news to anyone here of course, but it's still worthwhile to point out from time-to-time how warped this situation is. That it's real homophobia, not figurative, and that it was exercised in practice and not just a theoretical potentiality.

Yes, good suggestion to contact LGB Alliance. And good that you will go ahead in some form.
It is absolutely disgusting that lesbians getting together is now seen as something controversial. Those entitled men’s sexual rights campaigners are sending society so far backwards

What stalls are allowed to appear? Many community groups are political at some level.

I think that email was a very carefully worded way of telling you how your event could go ahead - ie, contact Southwark Park and Burgess Park.

It might be relevant that there are two reps of Southwark Council on the Board of Directors of the Trust that manages Potters Field Park
About Us - Potters Fields Park

The Trust reserves the right to refuse any event at its absolute discretion. The Park cannot be hired for organised vigils, memorials, rallies, protests or any political, religious or campaigning events.
I suppose they might have been able to justify cancellation by identifying it as 'campaigning' event, but they went for the more questionable 'political'.

They came to the conclusion that it was not a permitted event very late in the day, didn't they? They clearly say they were influenced by outside sources.

I'm really sorry this has happened to your event, LCommunity.

That message doesn't say anything about lesbians though. It's talking about a protest.

Is this just an entirely unrelated social get together for lesbian women or is it actually a reaction/protest of previous events?

It’s a Public Open Space…anyone can take a picnic and mingle with other women.
Would they try to prevent members of the public from gathering for a picnic?

But what was the event about? Was it just a random social or was it about exercising the right to meet in protest? It defo sounds like there's a backstory.

I have assumed and OP can of course clarify, that this event is not just a chance for lesbians to socialise but also a may of making available the type of event that had the Council not stopped it, have taken place in the physical space the L Community was refused a lease for.

There was a thread about it and cant remember the reason why the Council refused. But the implication was because it was to be a social space for lesbians (as now confirmed by the Supreme Court to be biological women attracted to other biological women!).

Totally get what you're saying. But in this case, it was never submitted as any kind of protest — just a small, friendly lesbian social. The “political” label only came after the word lesbian appeared on the application. That’s where the problem really started.