Finding ways for LGBTQ people to meet without bars or apps

There are fewer bars and clubs dedicated to the LGBTQ community in Boston than in the past, with a strong migration online. But if meeting people through an app isn’t your thing, there are other options.

“There’s always something to do,” Beth McGurr said. “You just have to know how to find it.”

McGurr is the founder of Lesbian Nightlife, which produces events primarily aimed at lesbian, trans and queer women.

“You can come, make friends or find the love of your life,” she said.

Its events take place in different venues across the region, giving people the chance to discover new places and meet new people – and in person rather than online.

“You can actually see someone in person and meet them, I think it’s just a different vibe,” McGurr said.

Hundreds of people in the LGBTQ community, most of them gay, make friends through flag football.

“It started as a way for like-minded people to meet each other,” said Mike Beamer of FLAG Flag Football.

Players are on a different team each season, so there is a constant rotation of people to know.

Some are there for sports and exercise, others for social activities before and after practices and games – or all of these at once.

“It gives people a different way to meet, without necessarily involving alcohol, and a way to network, to do something that everyone wants to be there to do, but also to meet new people too. ” Beamer said.

Since 2006, the Boston Gay Professionals Meetup Group has hosted monthly meetups in various locations.

“When people come to Boston Gay Professional events, they are there to network and meet, you know why everyone is in the room,” Daniel Batterman said.

There is no mystery, unlike online, where you may not know exactly who you are dealing with.

“When someone stands in front of you, they stand in front of you – you’re able to assess it, you’re able to see it, and you’re just able to observe, and I think you just walk away with it. a more complete experience than just meeting someone virtually,” Batterman said.

It’s a more relaxed and perhaps less anxiety-inducing experience than a bar or club. Event organizers even help introduce people to each other.