LGBTQ+ Community Groups and Support in Brighton: Helplines, Health, Sport and Choirs

Why community groups belong in a dating guide

Plenty of people meet partners through shared activities rather than through a first date with a stranger. A weekly rehearsal, a Saturday football session or a regular swim gives you time to get to know people without pressure, and builds the kind of friendships that make a city feel like home whether or not romance follows.

Groups also matter when dating gets hard. Knowing where to get tested, who to talk to after a bad experience, or where trans and non-binary people can find peer support is part of dating safely. Everything below comes from each organisation's own site, read on 14 October 2026. Times and prices change, so check before you go.

Switchboard

Switchboard describes itself as a charity for LGBTQ+ people looking for a sense of community, support or information, connecting people to its own services or referring them to specialist organisations. It is based at Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton. Its site lists an admin and information number, 01273 234009, and the email info@switchboard.org.uk; it does not present that number as a helpline or give opening hours for it.

Its services include BOLD, covering bereavement, older people, loneliness and dementia; specialist domestic abuse support; Rainbow Neighbours, a befriending and social connection service; Recover with Pride, for gambling harm; support for people affected by sexual harm; and social prescribing for trans, non-binary and intersex wellbeing. The site also mentions a separate National Support Line by phone and webchat, run by National Line, without giving its number on the page we read.

Rainbow Neighbours is worth knowing about if you are new to the city or have found yourself isolated. Domestic abuse and sexual harms support are there if a relationship or a date has gone badly wrong.

The Clare Project

The Clare Project is a registered charity run by and for trans, non-binary, gender-variant and gender-questioning people in Sussex. Its site says it began in 2000, when a group of trans women started meeting in the back room of a hairdressing salon. It runs peer support groups, information sessions, workshops and excursions, connects people with peer support, psychotherapy and healthcare, and offers some support and advocacy for intersex people. It is clear that it is not a mental health crisis service.

Most in-person events are at the Ledward Centre, 14a Jubilee Street, Brighton, BN1 1GE. The listings include a weekly Tuesday drop-in, usually from 2.30pm to 5pm (one October session ran 5pm to 7pm, so check the calendar), a Care Navigator drop-in from 11am to 1pm with a Zoom option, an online social for adults from 6pm to 7.30pm, a monthly neurodivergent group, and a monthly over-50s group. After the Tuesday drop-in, a monthly Meet & Eat goes to a local restaurant or pub, where the site says a main course costs about £15. The site does not state on its homepage whether every activity is free, so ask if cost matters.

Sexual health: the NHS SHAC service

University Hospitals Sussex runs the sexual health and contraception (SHAC) service. Its page describes the service as free, confidential and open to everyone, and says you do not need a GP referral. It guarantees an appointment within two working days, through walk-in, booked and late clinics. The Brighton and Hove number is 01273 523388.

The page lists three local sites: SHAC East at the Claude Nicol Centre on Eastern Road, Brighton; SHAC Central on Morley Street; and SHAC West at the Weller Youth Centre in Hove. The team also provides care for people living with HIV, with a separate HIV page. The SHAC page we read does not mention PrEP or a dedicated clinic for gay and bisexual men, so call the booking line to ask about those rather than relying on older listings.

Regular testing is ordinary good practice for anyone dating, and doing it before a new relationship turns physical is a conversation that gets easier the more normal it becomes.

Sport: BLAGSS, Out to Swim and the Sea Serpents

BLAGSS, the Brighton LGBTQ+ Sports Society, describes itself as a sports and social group for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people and allies, with around 500 members and more than 700 sporting and social meetings a year. Its footer dates the society to 1997. Sports listed include badminton, croquet, cycling, dance, all-ability football, pétanque, pickleball, running, squash, table tennis, tennis (with a beginners' group), tenpin bowling and walking. You can try a sport with a free one-day membership, though court fees may apply, and full membership is £15 a year.

Out to Swim Brighton & Hove, founded in 2006 as part of the wider Out to Swim network, welcomes adults aged 18 and over of all abilities. Its site lists coached lane sessions on Mondays from 8.30pm to 9.30pm and Thursdays from 7.30pm to 8.30pm at the Prince Regent Swimming Complex, and Saturdays from 5pm to 6pm at King Alfred Leisure Centre.

Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents RFC describes itself as an inclusive rugby community, based at Hove Recreation Ground, Shirley Drive, BN3 6NQ. Its homepage links to Try Rugby, Touch Rugby and membership pages but does not list training times or a founding date, so use its contact page to ask about taster sessions.

Choirs: Brighton Gay Men's Chorus and the Rainbow Chorus

Brighton Gay Men's Chorus says it was founded in January 2005 by a small group of friends who wanted a non-scene social space and Brighton & Hove's first gay male voice choir. Membership is open to anyone who identifies as a man and is LGBTQ-friendly. It rehearses weekly on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 10pm, with a monthly weekend rehearsal, and says it does not hold auditions.

The Rainbow Chorus, founded in 1997, welcomes anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. It rehearses on Monday evenings with some extra weekend rehearsals. New Members Nights run twice a year, in January and September; there is no audition, though the site says you are expected to be able to sing in tune, and the musical director will listen to your voice informally. To book a place, email membership@rainbowchorus.org.uk. With the September 2026 night already past when we checked, the next intake is January.

Young people: Allsorts Youth Project

Allsorts Youth Project works with children and young people under 26 who are LGBTQ+ or exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity, offering youth groups, non-judgemental spaces and youth coaching. It also runs a Parents & Carers Service, mainly for families of transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming young people aged 5 to 25 in East and West Sussex, and sells inclusion training whose profits support its youth work.

Its site gives its registered office as 69 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AE, rather than a drop-in address. Young people join through a referral form on the site, and must have an introductory meeting with a youth support worker before attending groups or coaching. For help with the form, the site gives youth@allsortsyouth.org.uk.

Trans Pride Brighton

Trans Pride Brighton is run by a registered charity and has been going since 2013. Its site says the next event, its 15th, is on 17 July 2027. It is a community and protest event, and a good way to meet trans and non-binary people and allies across the city.

Before you go

• Check each group's site for current times; the Clare Project and Out to Swim both list several regular sessions that can change.
• Call 01273 523388 to book or ask about specific sexual health services such as PrEP.
• The Clare Project is not a crisis service; in an emergency, call 999.
• Book a Rainbow Chorus New Members Night by email; the next one after September is in January.
• Allsorts needs an introductory meeting before a young person can join a group.

Questions people ask

Do I need a GP referral for a sexual health test in Brighton?

No. University Hospitals Sussex says its sexual health and contraception service is free, confidential and open to everyone without a GP referral, and guarantees an appointment within two working days. Call 01273 523388.

Where can trans people find support in Brighton?

The Clare Project runs peer groups for trans, non-binary, intersex and questioning adults, including a weekly Tuesday drop-in at the Ledward Centre, 14a Jubilee Street. Switchboard also offers wellbeing support for trans, non-binary and intersex people.

How can I try an LGBTQ+ sport in Brighton?

BLAGSS offers a free one-day membership to try a sport, with court fees possibly extra, and full membership is £15 a year. Out to Swim welcomes adults of all abilities to its coached sessions.

Do Brighton's LGBTQ+ choirs audition?

Brighton Gay Men's Chorus says it does not hold auditions. The Rainbow Chorus has no audition at its New Members Nights, though it expects you to sing in tune.

Is there support for LGBTQ+ young people in Brighton?

Allsorts Youth Project works with LGBTQ+ and questioning young people under 26, with a registered office at 69 Ship Street, and runs a service for parents and carers.