There’s something quietly radical about building a space where people can simply ask for help. Not a helpline or a diagnosis, but something softer. Something human. That’s the energy behind Ask Bobby, a new LGBTQ+ community and support directory launching in London this June, created by the mental health non-profit You Are Loved.

It all begins at Betty & Joan’s, a club tucked just behind the Elephant. The event, happening on June 19, will gather people not only to celebrate a new resource but to honour someone who embodied care and visibility: Robin Windsor.

The name Ask Bobby is taken from Robin’s nickname. Known for Strictly Come Dancing, Robin was more than a performer. He was someone who spoke openly about mental health, often when it wasn’t easy. His death in 2024 left a visible ripple through the queer community. This project, in many ways, is the continuation of his voice.

What makes the directory different is how broad yet personal it aims to be. It lists established mental health organisations, but also grassroots collectives, peer-led groups, and informal circles that exist beneath the radar. There’s a search function to filter by theme, age, gender identity, and orientation. The vetting process is designed to protect, not police.

Behind it is a much larger issue. The devastating suicide and drug-related death rates among queer men, particularly gay and bi men. Official statistics now show they are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide than straight men. These aren’t just numbers. They’re people, and the grief left behind is often quiet, misunderstood, or completely unspoken.

You Are Loved is trying to change that too. In April, they launched the UK’s first bereavement support group specifically for LGBTQ+ people who have lost someone to suicide or drugs. The sessions are free, weekly, and confidential, designed for people who don’t want to have to explain what GHB is, or justify why they’re still grieving someone their family never acknowledged.

There’s no glamour in this kind of work. But it matters. What’s being launched isn’t a brand or a campaign. It’s a gesture of care. A new kind of infrastructure for those living with loss, loneliness, or simply the need to feel seen.

June 19 will be about all of that. Grief. Love. Queer community. The quiet, ongoing work of making sure no one feels they have to survive alone.

The event is free but space is limited. Tickets available via Outsavvy
🗓 Thursday 19 June, 6pm to late
📍 Betty & Joan’s, Elephant and Castle, London
🔗 youare-loved.com/directory
📸 @youareloved.cic

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