Lesbian members bar that excludes trans women to open in London
Lesbian members bar banning trans women to open this year (Getty Images)
A lesbian members bar that only allows entry for cisgender women and excludes trans women is set to open in London later this year.
The bar, named L Community, is set to open as a private members club so it can “legally restrict” access to cisgender women only, The Telegraph reports.
L Community has been set up by Jenny Watson, who was criticised in September 2023 for attempting to ban trans women from attending her lesbian speed-dating event in London. The event was eventually allowed to go ahead for cis women only.
Watson, 32, told The Telegraph that events she puts on that exclude trans women are often cancelled or refused by venues, and that her new “members club” could legally exclude trans women.
“It will be for biological females only and this is why we’re making it a members-only club so we can legally restrict it to women,” she said.
Watson added that her venue was being set up as a response to the decline of lesbian bars in the UK, voicing her opposition to the fact that many current lesbian bars and events welcome trans and non-binary visitors.
“In effect, we have zero lesbian bars in a country of almost 70 million. I’m going to give it my all to change that,” she said.
While Watson is correct in her claim that lesbian spaces are declining in the UK – there are now only three permanent lesbian bars remaining across the country – experts have explained that the decline is mostly due to rising rents and the impact of Covid-19 on the economy, adding that being inclusive of trans and non-binary customers is “essential”.
“There are people in our community who won’t find that safety net in other venues, who aren’t comfortable in an non-LGBTQ+ environment, so I think it’s absolutely essential that we always have safe spaces,” Gary Henshaw, owner of the Ku Group, which includes She Soho, told PinkNews in 2023.
Further, a YouGov poll in August 2023 found that lesbians are the demographic most welcoming to trans and non-binary people, with 68 per cent of cisgender lesbians holding a “very positive” view of trans people, compared to 22 per cent of all British people.
