Loving in a Polarised World
A Loving Men+ Pot-Luck Dinner and Discussion
Come together for a pot-luck dinner and some space to share the impact on you of living and loving in a polarised world.
Following the positive feedback from our first discussion event — Living in a Polarised World — we’ve decided to continue the conversation with a further workshop, under the title: Loving in a Polarised World.
This development feels right for us as Loving Men+, reflecting our intention to stay grounded in practising love, connection and community as we explore difficult and important terrain together.
The focus of the November event will be on Race and Racism and facilitated by Gasat La Barbera, Anup Karia, Tim Foskett and Wayne Mertins-Brown.
Our intention is to follow up with future workshops focussing on other polarised issues in our world and/or our community (see below for more information about the origins of this event).
Join us for an evening of coming together, sharing a meal, listening and talking about what’s going on with each other. We hope this will help make community, relieve isolation & pressure, increases understanding, help clarify what is and isn’t useful, and lead to feelings of solidarity and support.
Book your place here.
We’re introducing a sliding scale of ticket options so everyone can take part in a way that feels right for them: Standard £30 · Concession £15 · Supporter £45 · Pay-as-you-can (choose your own contribution).
Schedule
6.00 - 6:45pm Pot-luck dinner- please bring something to share.
7.00 - 9.45pm Facilitated workshop - Loving in a Polarised World - focussing on Race & Racism.
The venue has step-free access throughout, accessible toilets, and is fully wheelchair accessible.
Ground Rules
We’d like the space to be one where people feel safe enough to express what they want to in relation to the subject and also be interested to listen to others especially those who may have diverse perspectives to yours.
We are very aware that safety is both an individual and collective experience.
With that in mind we’d like to suggest the following ground rules in the spirit of supporting a deeper conversation:
- We’d love the discussion to be as honest and caring as possible.
- Come with the intention to have a conversation with an interest in different perspectives even if you don’t agree with them.
- Try to show respect to everyone in the room in the way you speak and express yourself.
- Share your feelings using I statements (ie I feel angry…) rather than You statements (ie You are stupid)
- No verbal attacks.
- Use active listening. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the person speaking.
- Take time to breathe, regulate and de-escalate if feelings run high in the group.
- There will be facilitation throughout and also ask for help from the facilitators and other group members if you are struggling.
The Origins of Loving in a Polarised World
Many of us were disturbed by the far-right march in London in September 2025, and by other polarised issues and experiences in the wider world, in the UK and within the LGBTQIA+ and LM+ communities.
As well as the racism and nationalism exhibited at the September march, we are also thinking of the increase in attacks on and harassment of trans and non-binary folk, especially after the supreme court ruling on sex, the attack on the synagogue in Manchester and the rise in anti-semitic attacks in the UK and world-wide, the horror of the war in Gaza and the Oct 7th attack on Israel, among others.
We know that many people of colour, trans and non-binary people, Jewish people, and people from other minorities or diversities are living with a heightened sense of threat and fear, increased harassment and concerns about things getting worse rather than better.
We know that many cis-gendered and white people are also feeling scared, threatened and challenged by the polarisation and extremism that are emerging within our society, and uncertain about the best ways to ‘do something’ about what’s happening, including how to be a support and an ally to people of colour, trans and non-binary folk, Jewish people and others on the receiving end of polarisations.
We believe that coming together, sharing a meal, listening and talking about what’s going on with each other helps make community, relieves isolation & pressure, increases understanding, sometimes helps clarify what is and isn’t useful, and can lead to feelings of solidarity and support.
For any queries please email info@lovingmen.org.
Loving Men+ welcomes gay, bi & trans men and gender non-binary people, from all walks of life who want to develop their capacity to love. We particularly encourage participation from black and ethnic minority, HIV positive and negative, young and older, trans and disabled men and non-binary people. In 2023 we added the + to our logo in recognition that trans and non-binary people have been a valued part of Loving Men+ since we began in 2003.