Not everyone experiences warmth at Christmas – so we open our doors
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‘My partner died 15 years ago, and this is the first time I’ve been able to open a Christmas cracker, since’. It was Christmas 2023 and I was at the London LGBT Community Centre, at a Christmas Eve dinner. It was my second year working at the centre and I was talking to the wonderful folk who arrived for the evening.
![[London LGBT Centre (Anon)- Christmas Lunch]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234105652-b064.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to an older man open up to me. He told me he didn’t have a family that welcomed him, and no longer a loved one by his side. This was one of hundreds of stories of loneliness I’ve heard over the years. We often think about isolation affecting mostly older people but we see at the centre that, especially in a city like London, people of all ages, sexualities, genders and identities are affected.
![[London LGBT Centre (Anon)- Christmas Lunch]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234105647-1ae6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
But Christmas and the holidays in particular are a really difficult time – there is a high risk of homelessness in the queer community and relationships with families can be hard – it can be a lonely time for LGBTQ+ people. That’s why the London LGBTQ+ Centre first decided to put on an annual Christmas Eve Dinner in 2021 – to provide a sanctuary space around Christmas to serve different needs in our community.
![[London LGBT Centre (Anon)- Christmas Lunch]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SEI_234105653-6001.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
I personally understood the need for this space – I grew up in London and used to have a strong queer community around me, but as people got older and London became more expensive, more people moved away and I found my world getting smaller. It’s harder when you’re part of a marginalised community – and as a queer and trans person, the pool of people I have access to is smaller than others. So, I started going to events at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre, then began volunteering in 2022 and finally ended up working there in 2023.
