This week Date Night China is celebrating women, and that includes all women – whether lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex or queer. The focus provided by International Women’s Day is a great opportunity to draw attention to the inequalities faced by lesbians, bi women and trans (LBT+) people, and also bring awareness to the LGBTQ+ women and their communities.In the Beijing community, the Beijing Queer Women's Circle (BQWC) offers a safe community for queer women to meet and socialize. The idea for this community took root in the beginning of 2021, and co-organizers Catherine and Scylla officially started BQWC in Nov. 2021. Since then BQWC has grown into monthly meet ups, events, and other colloborations. Date Night China chats with Catherine and Scylla to learn more about this community and their goal to provide a safe space for queer women in Beijing. 1. Tell us about yourselves. Scylla: I'm from Mexico, 4 years in Beijing. She/Her. Catherine: I'm half Canadian half Swedish with an international upbringing. Almost 6 years in Beijing. She/her.2. How did Beijing Queer Women's Circle get started? Scylla: Due to the lack of spaces for women like us, we decided to create one with a strong sense of community. Catherine: It came out of observing a need for more women centred events or spaces. Having noticed that most LGBTQIA nights were male-dominated, we felt that there wasn’t really a space for queer women to meet each other and socialize. While the events with our male friends are always fun, there are women who want to meet other women and felt they couldn’t do so in this space. Additionally, after speaking to several women it was clear that it was something that was needed. Some women even said they didn’t want to attend certain events that they felt were disproportionately male.3. What is the goal of the Queer Women’s Circle? The goal is to create a comfortable, safe space where like-minded women can come together and meet others, without any pressure or judgments. And really, to create a community where women can connect and build lasting connections.4. How often do you host meet ups/events? So far, we’ve tried to have monthly meetups to meet and mingle (if there is interest, we might hope to do it more frequently in future). In addition to the meet-ups, we’ve had other events throughout the month, such as a movie night, mindfulness sessions and a drink and draw collab event.5. How do you hope queer women who come to the events will feel? What kind of responses have you gotten from queer women who have joined the BQWC? Scylla: We hope people who join our circle and attend the events we organize find a safe space to meet other queer women, share ideas and have fun. The response has been quite positive in general, but we are looking forward to creating a bigger group with a strong sense of community. Catherine: I hope they will feel supported, able to freely express themselves, and have a sense of community. I have received a few messages from other women who said they really appreciated the events, and that they felt more welcome in the community. I think its important to say that while myself and Sil organized the group, I really see it as a collective initiative, a group created by queer-women for other queer-women, that everyone contributes to and participates in. We’ve had others in the group suggest activities or contribute there own ideas which is great! Rather than just.us hosting our meetups, I hope everyone will feel like they are part of creating something that becomes a community. 6. How has the reception been from the general Beijing community? Have there been any challenges?I think the reception has been good so far. The Beijing Friend Zone group was very supportive, and we could use that forum to gain more recognition. I think some of the challenges are mostly logistical, for example choosing the right days for our events that will be most suited to everyone, as well as finding venues that will be willing to host us. Sometimes, we’ve had some differing opinions in the group about the aim or purpose of the space, so its important to value each individual’s opinion or needs. 7. In what ways can people be allies for queer women, and others in the LGBTQ+ community?I think its important to understand our need for our own space, rather than thinking we are trying to be exclusive. And of course, allies can share our events and info with anyone they think would benefit from our community. I think queer women can be quite marginalized, so respect our need for a safe space. I think in general promoting awareness and understanding and joining in on other lgbt community events. 8. How can people interested in joining get involved? We have a WeChat group that they can join, so just reach out! And of course become a regular at our events or spread the word. Those who want to get more involved are welcome to join our group and help us arrange activities or events. (Add Catherine on WeChat to learn more. WeChat ID: cgpeters).The next BQWC event is on March 18 @ 9PM at Chill Bar.Join the Date Night China WeChat group! Add Rachel on WeChat to join (WeChat ID: rachelweiss22).About Date Night ChinaDate Night China is a digital media brand and international community based in China. We focus on creating media content and hosting events that help people connect, expand their cultural perspectives, and share stories related to dating and relationships in China. We currently host events in Shanghai and Beijing, but our community has people from all over China and is open to any nationality, gender, and identity.关于DNC创立于北京的DNC，既是数字媒体品牌，又是充满活力的国际社群。通过新媒体运营，我们会定期举办各种新鲜有趣的线下活动，连接来自不同国家不同文化的朋友们，一起拓展跨文化视野，分享在中国的生活体验和爱情故事。除了我们自己的聚会，DNC还会经常和各类国际社群联名举办活动，为你提供更多更广泛的交友资源。欢迎加入DNC大家庭！