About SEL Gay & the birth of the SEL Gay Consortium.

South East London Gay (SEL Gay) was born out of frustration at the lack of interest within the SEL area. Founder Leaf Scott had worked for Greenwich University for the Heritage Arts & Tourism School of Business where he accompanied masters students on a long weekend visit to Liverpool to see how the Arts and Theatre scene had been integral in the regeneration of what has become a city of culture, borne out of the depression left over from the Thatcherism era .

Essentially how they worked was this. Seven of the local museums and art galleries (link) – including Tate Liverpool, and the Lever Art gallery, sat down as a group, and discussed what their own identities for their venues were. A uniform agreement came into play where by these seven institutes agreed not to do any exhibitions or plays that would be more suited to one of their so called competitors. By doing this, the arts scene was able to create a diversity of interest within Liverpool and attract tourists to the area. This has now blossomed into waht is now a booming art scene (see www.artinliverpool.com/)

SEL Gay's aim is to achieve a similar regeneration of the gay scene in the same way Liverpool , and Newcastle have done with their arts scene. From mid July08 the first meeting of all managers and people who work within the SEL Gay venues will be invited to attend a short brainstorm meeting to look at ways of building community and diversity with in SEL.

The initial aims are to Clarify each venues identity;

Offer a Security Chain System – where by if someone is aggressive or homophobic in one of the SEL Gay bars and ends up being barred, then the other bars can be notified not to serve this person, or choose to bar them as well;

Joint advertising in the gay press ( as most bars in SEL Gay have a limited budget for advertising), where one advert promotes all the “SEL Gay consortium”.

Already in agreement to the initial idea is:

The Rose & Crown
Candi Boyz
Two8six
The Metro Centre
Bromley Theatre
Pinc@Inc
The Star & Garter
Ego
Steamworks
Positive Place
The Harbour Trust

The SEL Gay website runs on free advertising for all LGBT businesses, charities and support groups within the Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham boroughs. The funding to run and market the site is done by sponsorship. This way it is hoped that online a regeneration of interest in the SEL gay scene can be achieved.

About SEL Gay & the birth of the SEL Gay Consortium.

Sponsors