Queer bookshop’s board resigns after boycott over racism training

A queer bookshop’s whole board resigned after a boycott by people of colour over anti-racism training.

Earlier this year, queer people of colour announced a boycott of The Queery on Instagram saying the space did not feel safe or welcoming for them.

The Queery, a volunteer-run bookshop and cafe in George Street, Kemp Town, responded by earmarking proceeds from an event to raise money for anti-racism training.

Confusion over why the training didn’t happen straight away led to public accusations the money was being used for other things, leading to the boycott.

Now, the bookshop has officially commissioned the training and new board members are to be elected at an upcoming meeting in October.

Interim board chair, MJ Grey said: “It’s really important to us that we are not painted as the victims in this.

“We have been held accountable for our failings by the boycott and we were forced to make necessary changes to make The Queery a safe space for the BIPOC queer community.

“We hope that these changes are sufficient to allow us to keep our doors open and recognise that anti-racism is an ongoing effort that is a top priority for us going forward.”

The Queery commissioned the anti-racism training after a range of allegations, including failing to hold Black History Month events, ignoring queer people of colour’s concerns, and not having any people of colour on the board.

The bookshop says it is not naming the trainer after agreeing a confidentiality agreement.

The boycott itself began after social media posts alleged that the board at The Queery had not used money from an event earmarked to hire an anti-racism consultant as intended.

When The Queery received a quote from an anti-racist consultant for £2,500, they only had a quarter of the funds needed to meet the consultant’s fee available, and had intended to delay the training until they could afford it.

Due to a miscommunication, the consultant was mistakenly given the impression that The Queery no longer intended to hire them.

It’s not clear how this confusion became public, but angry comments were soon posted online calling for a boycott.

The entire board of The Queery resigned earlier this month and the anti-racism consultant has subsequently agreed to a payment plan for their original quote and has begun work with the interim board.

In response to the allegations and the boycott, The Queery has published a list of commitments on their Instagram social media, committing to a reorganisation of the board, with additional spaces created for individuals from marginalised groups.

The Queery also say that when it has the resources, an anti-racist audit will be conducted to further explore “ingrained racial bias and discriminatory practices within the cooperative.”

The interim board has also committed to creating an easily accessible and clear complaints procedure to respond to complaints in a timely, confidential and comprehensive manner.