LGBT at PACE

At PACE we aim to offer a safe space for everyone to express themselves, and we are proud to celebrate and support our LGBTQI+ community. Find out more below about where you can get support, or connect with social groups.

lgbt charter

PACE Youth Theatre is proud to be taking steps to achieve the Silver Accreditation of the LGBT Youth Scotland LGBT Charter, which supports organisations to ensure they are as inclusive as possible of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

lgbt young champions

Our LGBT Young Champions group at PACE is a space for LGBT+ young people and allies to come together and share their voices on how we can continue making PACE a welcoming and inclusive environment for all. The group helps plan events that celebrate key moments in the LGBT+ calendar, such as Purple Friday and Pride Month, as well as giving them performance opportunities. It’s a space where young people can be themselves, socialise, and contribute to creating a supportive and vibrant community at PACE. Previous events include: Purple Party | Pride Book Club.

If you would like to get involved with the Young Champions, please contact Murray Keir on the details below.

ways we can support:

We record and recognise preferred pronouns and names for members
Our staff badges include pronouns
We offer access to gender neutral toilets in our spaces
There is visible LGBT signposting and Inclusion noticeboards in our venues
We have a named LGBT contact within our staff who you can approach with any issues or concerns.

lead lgbt artist

Murray Keir - Senior Drama Practitioner

“I’ve been a part of PACE Youth Theatre since 2011, first as a member and now as a tutor since 2019. Throughout my time at PACE, I’ve been passionate about creating a safe and supportive environment for LGBT+ young people. As a member, I took part in the 2018 National Theatre Connections in a play called Dungeness, which celebrated LGBT+ identities, and that experience really deepened my commitment to this work. I’ve also had the privilege of helping to create an LGBT+ toolkit for theatre practitioners and youth theatres with YTAS. Currently, I’m proud to lead PACE’s LGBT Young Champions Committee, where I help empower young voices within the community.“

Contact

If you

"I joined the LGBT Champions as a way to give everyone a voice when it comes to the important matter of inclusion and representation. I love how passionate all of my fellow members are and how much we all care about making a difference in our community, and I am very much looking forward to all that we do in the future."

"I joined the young champions to spread more awareness of the LGBTQ+ community in a place I love to go to. As I’ve experienced negativity in the past with my own sexuality I’d love to spread awareness and make sure everyone understands and learns more about the community."

"I love the environment of our meetings, the other members are such a brilliant group of people and it has been great to have discussions with them about how to improve our community’s acceptance of others and plan speeches and events to raise awareness concerning LGBT matters."

I joined the Young Champions group cos I wanted to be part of something else in PACE and to show who I truly am. I want to help other LGBT people in our community to be who they are."

"I joined the Young Champions for a few reasons, one being to chat with a peer group I can relate to. Another being the theatre aspect, I loved the idea of working on LGBTQ+ theatre as the representation is so important, it's also great to work on little events with people who are just as passionate as you are about supporting the LGBTQ+ community."