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Queerspace is a Belfast LGBTQI+ collective that started life in 1997/98, when a gang of young queer activists got together to create a dedicated physical space in the city for queer people to meet and organise. Outburst’s Artistic Director Ruth McCarthy was just one of many original members, along with New York activist Emmaia Gelman. To celebrate 25 years of Queerspace, Emmaia returned to Belfast in January 2023, when she recorded this podcast special with Ruth, talking about how the collective came to be, why it was so important at the time and why autonomously run queer spaces are still vital for activism, art and dreaming the future. They’re joined by Gareth Lee, who was also an early member of Queerspace and is still a key organiser with the collective today. As mentioned in the chat, if you have any memories of Queerspace that you would like to add, or any materials for the archive, get in touch with LGBT Heritage Project NI at history@hereni.org. Check out Outburst here 🐈https://outburstarts.com