The 1975 back London LGBTQ+ centre appeal

The Manchester band have donated to the campaign for a new centre for London’s LGBTQ+ community

The 1975 are helping to fund a new community centre for London’s LGBTQ+ community by offering a donation that has meant the project reached its fundraising target.

One of the project’s organisers, journalist and activist Michael Segalov, shared the news of the band’s donation on Twitter after receiving a phone call from frontman Matty Healy.

Segalov tweeted: “ANNOUNCEMENT: on Wednesday, I got a call from @Truman_Black – lead singer of The 1975. he called to say how important he and the band thought the @LdnLGBTQCentre project is, and asked how to help. he offered to take crowdfunder to £50k there and then!”

Advertisement

He later added: “with everyone’s incredible support, we managed to hit £50k without including their donation, which means right now we’re on course to raise £100k for this project. I want to say thank you to Matty, and the band, for their allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. it means the world.”

Speaking to The Observer about the project, frontman Matty Healy said: “You might wonder why it is needed, and even ask yourself what exactly is everyone still scared of, but sadly, I think stigma still exists even in London and we still have some way to go.”

Healy admitted he was “wary” of talking about the band’s involvement as he didn’t want to “appear to be virtue-signalling,” but added that he was surprised the project hadn’t yet reached target. He added: “Me and the others in the band all felt it was obviously a good thing to put our money towards.”

The singer went on to explain that a proportion of The 1975’s fanbase comes from the LGBTQ+ community, adding, “Loving Someone, has become a bit of an anthem for some people in that community.”

Centres exist in Manchester, New York, Berlin and Los Angeles, but Healy shared his surprise that London didn’t have a place for LGBTQ+ people to meet. A Gay and Lesbian centre once existed in Farringdon, but closed in the 90s due to lack of funding and management disagreements.

Advertisement

Organisers of the new project hope to create a new “safe and secure” space in order for the LGBTQ+ community in the capital to be able to “lay down roots.”

The plans, which have been backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow minister Diane Abbott, include a café employing LGBTQ+ people, event space, research hub and advice and clinical rooms where people can receive counselling and have sexual health tests.

As yet, there has been no confirmed site for the new space, but organisers have been scouting locations in Hackney.

Tweeting the news, organiser Michael Segalov said the project are now upping their target and are aiming to raise £100k.

He praised The 1975’s donation, adding: “During Pride month, when brands / public figures use our community for their own ends, this was an act of pure generosity. They didn’t ask us to tell the world they had done it – how we dealt with the donation was entirely up to us. This wasn’t for recognition. It’s cos they care.”

The 1975 are currently working on their third album “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships”, having recently released single “Give Yourself A Try.”

The record is a follow up to their hugely successful album “I Like It When You Sleep…” and is expected to drop in October 2018.

Recently, it was revealed that Matty co-directed a video for rapper Just Banco, while the singer also stated he spent time in rehab ahead of recording the band’s third album.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories