My Queer Diary: 10th - 16th March

Welcome to My Queer Diary, a weekly digest of LGBT+ events taking place around Edinburgh.

Thanks to the community organisers, event promoters, artists, workers and business people keeping the queer community thriving.

Just a semi-regular reminder that Planet, Street and CC’s have decent events on most nights of the week. They’re not always announced ahead of time and I don’t always want to feature every regular night on, so keep an eye on their social media platforms.

Monday 10 March

Queer Boardgames

18:00-20:30, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW

Join us every 2nd Monday of the month for an informal and friendly evening of boardgames, from short card games to longer campaign based games.

LGBTQ+ NA

18:30-19:45, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW

A weekly Narcotics Anonymous group in Edinburgh for LGBTQ+ people (16+). Narcotics Anonymous (NA) is a fellowship or society of people for whom drugs had become a major problem. Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied substance use disorders. There is only one requirement for membership, the desire to stop using.

Tracks Drag Show

21:00-23:00, Subway, 69 Cowgate, EH1 1JW

The Biggest Stage in Scottish Drag, every Monday at 9pm. Show at 9.30pm. Club night after the drag. Please remember to bring your ID as will be asked for this at the door.

Tuesday 11 March

Gay Men’s Yoga

10:00-11:30, The Yoga Shala, 21 Trafalgar Street, EH6 4DF

We are running a 6 week block of Gay Men's Yoga through Queer Yoga Edinburgh. We hope to create a yoga community for gay men (inclusive of Queer/Bi/Trans/Male or Masc identifying) to enjoy group practice and connect with others. Our classes will follow a gentle flow / slow vinyasa style, with a focus on finding some time for you, away from judgement or comparisons.

Poetry Night: Launch of ‘Strange Beach’ by Oluwaseun Olayiwola, with Alycia Pirmohamed

19:00-20:00, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, EH8 9DB

Intimate and erotic, ecological and philosophical, the poems in Strange Beach illuminate the body as a porous landscape across which existential dramas, filial fractures, and sexual reckonings occur. The collection ventures across the same ‘Atlantic Ocean’ as Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, which is the same ‘Atlantic Ocean’ in Lowell’s Life Studies, to reveal a queer consciousness deeply steeped in poetic traditions of nuanced confession and moving abstraction.

LGBTQ Live and Let Live: AA

19:45-20:45, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW

Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.

Queer Film Night Special: Queerness Outside Cities

19:45-23:00, Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative, 34 Wright's Houses, EH10 4HR

In this very special screening we will see three films that intimately explore the lives of queer people living in rural spaces and their relationship to nature. Alongside Niall Moorjani's beautiful non-binary selkie tale. Made by the very own QFN team A Different Home asks what “home” means for queer people who live in a city but grew up in a rural place. Interviews layered on Scottish landscape shots explore the tensions between craving a rural life and thriving in an urban queer community.

Wednesday 12 March

Coffee Posse Edinburgh

13:00-15:00, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW

A safe space for LGBTQ+ people who are 50 and over to have a brew and a blether. Anyone aged 50 and above is welcome to join Coffee Posse. It is a welcoming and safe space where you can meet new people, catch up with old friends and connect with your local community.

The Bro Code: Edinburgh’s Drag King Show

19:00-22:30, Leith Arches, 6 Manderston Street, EH6 8LY

Edinburgh's only all king show!! Hosts Dom Perignon and Jack The Strapper bring you three guest kings. Prepare to be amused, amazed and aroused… It's time to follow The Bro Code! The Lineup: Mystika Glamoor as Jeremiah Von Fuckbucket, Cliff Lickhard, Jay Gnormous, Narcisse Empoté-Ose.

Crush!

19:30-03:00, CC Blooms, 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA

Get dressed up and drunk with your girls for Edinburgh's latest queer femme only night, Crush! Fancy a girls night out!? Want a venue that feels safe and secure? Just want to listen to nonstop music for women, made by women? CRUSH is the place to be! With sponsors from Strut Safe, Fanny Riot, and East and Midlothian Women's aid not only will you be having a great night, you'll also be supporting a great cause!

Thursday 13 March

Queer Life Drawing

17:00-19:00, Kafe Kweer, 5 St. Peter's Buildings, EH3 9PG

Queer Life Drawing is a semi-tutored life drawing class which celebrates the queer body, especially the nude. Each week bears a different theme and will have Maya giving tips and advice on how to play into your artistic strengths while learning more about drawing the human body. Materials are provided, and the Cafe is open until the end of the class so you will never be without refreshment. The class is queer- and student-run, and intended for absolutely anyone!

Mulholland Drive

16:15-19:00, Cameo, 38 Home Street, EH3 9LZ

A botched hit posing as a car accident results in the meeting of brunette amnesiac Rita (Laura Harring) and blonde would-be actress Betty (Naomi Watts). While the two attempt to piece together Rita's identity, they fall deeper and deeper into the city's intoxicating underbelly.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert - Singalong Performance

19:00, Festival Theatre, 13-29 Nicolson Street, EH8 9FT

Grab your mics put on those disco boots – it’s time to join The Bohemians for a Sing-along performance of Priscilla Queen of the Desert! For one night only, you can belt your favourite tracks from the comfort of your seat.

The Roze Garden: Cabaret & Club Night

21:00-01:00, The Street Bar and Nightclub, 2b Picardy Place, EH1 3JT

Looking for the ultimate Thursday night out in Edinburgh? Join us at The Roze Garden, hosted by the fabulous Chloe Roze, for a night of unforgettable live entertainment, show-stopping cabaret performances, and a vibrant club atmosphere.

Friday 14 March

Queer Yoga Edinburgh

10:00-11:30, Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, EH16 5AB

These classes are for LGBTQ+ people who would like to practice accessible yoga with their community. Open to all abilities and experience. We will have around a 60 minute movement and meditation practice, followed by optional tea and chat.

Introduction to Voice and Communication Therapy

14:00-16:30, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW

This Introduction to Voice and Communication Therapy workshop is being led by Cerys Mabe (she/they) a Speech and Language Therapist from NHS Lothian who works with trans and non-binary people on their voice and communication goals.

Men Draw Men

19:30-21:30, The Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, EH16 5AB

Casual life-drawing sessions for men of all skill levels. Limited tickets left.

Tranimosity!

20:00-23:00, CC Blooms, 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA

Scotland’s only all trans drag show! Hosted by Krystal Klear, with Fair Verona and Blair Glitch.

Saturday 15 March

Saturday Chatterday

13:30-16:00, Kafe Kweer, 5 St. Peter's Buildings, EH3 9PG

Saturday Chatterday is an event we started to help fight loneliness and help folk meet new people. Whether you really click and become friends, or only meet once, it's a great chance to meet new folk and their perspectives. We ask that you turn up as close to the 1:30pm start as possible. You can stay for as long as you want!

QTPOC Movie Night

18:00-21:00, West Port Oracle, 27 West Port, EH1 2LD

Celebrating QTPOC women in film. Join us for a special movie night in honour of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day! This is a space for QTPOC to come together, watch a powerful film centring queer women of colour, and share our thoughts in a wee discussion at the end. Expect an evening of community, conversation, and celebration as we reflect on the strength, resilience, and creativity of women across the world. There will be a vote to decide which movie we watch.

Sapphic Sounds

19:00-22:30, Zero Waste Hub (by SHRUB Coop), 22 Bread Street, EH3 9AF

Come along to our Sapphic Sounds Open Mic Night, an inclusive platform for artists to showcase their creative talents through music, comedy, and spoken word. In response to the male-dominated nature of open mic nights, we have created a safe and welcoming space for women and non-binary folks to freely express themselves and their art. However, we want to emphasise that everyone is welcome to attend and support the performers!

Sunday 16 March

Queer Moves

11:00-12:15, Dance Base, 14-16 Grassmarket, EH1 2JU

Queer Moves is a community group led by queer community members. This group was created through the desire to connect with the queer community in Scotland and make space for those who wish to explore dance and movement for art, healing, fitness, socialising and connection. This group will allow a space to ground with our bodies, individually and as a group.

Queer Joy Book Club

12:15-14:00, Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive at the Edinburgh Palette, 151 London Road, EH7 6AE

Join us at Lavender Menace for our monthly book club. In March, we're reading Love in Exile by Shon Faye. We meet on the third Sunday each month to discuss queer books through a lens of finding joy in LGBTQ+ stories. Queer books are often distressing or tragic, so we started a book club focused on seeking out more uplifting stories. That doesn't mean we always read lighthearted books, but through our discussions we try to focus on the joyful aspects of living a queer life.

Queer Foraging Walk

13:30-15:30, Rosslyn Chapel, Chapel Loan, EH25 9PU

Spring has sprung, and it's time to forage! Join Johanna and Lauren for a queer friendly spring foray in Roslin! We'll be on the lookout for delicious spring greens and magical fungi, all while enjoying the fresh air and some queer joy in nature. Whether you're an experienced forager or curious about plants and fungi, this is the perfect space to learn, share, and connect with a rad group of folks!

Edinburgh Curveballs Squash

14:00, Meadowbank Sports Centre, London Road, EH7 6AE

Weekly squash, padel and tennis club for LGBTQ+ people and friends. New players especially welcome. With new times starting at 14:00, shake off the Sunday blues and finish the week strong.

Lesbian Words

14:15-16:00, Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive at the Edinburgh Palette, 151 London Road, EH7 6AE

Join us for our monthly discussion about lesbian books! We get together on the third Sunday of each month to chat about books and media about lesbians, sapphics, and/or queer women. We usually pick a specific topic to discuss each month, like our favourite book to movie adaptations, controversial books, or lesbian representation throughout history.

Creative Journaling for LGBTQIA+

18:00-20:00, The Salisbury Centre, 2 Salisbury Road, EH16 5AB

Tickets almost gone at time of writing so don’t hang about. Take time at the end of your week for self-reflection. Together in a supportive group, we will journal using guided prompts to help process life events, imagine potential futures, and remember moments of magic. No writing experience is required.

Planning ahead…

This is where I’ll share a few things that are coming up further ahead than one week where there’s a likelihood of tickets selling out. I’ll also share volunteering opportunities for LGBTQ+ groups who run events.

Fruit Salad present Dyke of the Year 2025 - applications open

Are you a pillar in your dyke community? Are you a little freaky and geeky? Are you hot to go? Then you have to apply for DYKE OF THE YEAR! In honour of the original dyke Sappho, the competition will be held on the 1st of June to open pride at Paradise Palms! Anyone who is a dyke or dyke adjacent can apply! If the dykes have accepted you as one of their own, you are eligible to run for dyke of the year!

Queer by Nature - Skill sharing call out

We would love to give more members of our community the chance to share their skills and knowledge in one of our sessions! If you or anyone you know has a nature based skill (could be foraging, nature poetry, bird identification, crafts with nature- whatever you like) please let us know- we would love to help you lead one of our sessions.