LGBTQ+: Wales’ first bilingual magazine launched in lockdown

What is believed to be Wales’ first national LGBTQ+ bilingual magazine has been launched. LGBTQymru will “celebrate, connect and support the communities of Wales – not just the LGBTQ+ community but Wales as a whole”, those behind it say. Founder and editor Bleddyn Harris has created the quarterly online magazine after launching the first Wales-wide virtual Pride last year. He said it would “showcase the community”. After the cancellation of annual Pride celebrations across the UK as a result of the pandemic, LGBTQymru created their virtual event in July, attracting 30,000 online views. Mr Harris, 28, from Merthyr Tydfil, said: “We had so much interaction and representation, it was fabulous. People from all over Wales were involved and there were really interesting conversations that just don’t happen. “I just kept thinking, what next? And I realised there has never been an LGBTQ+ magazine in Wales. We all felt this was an opportunity to create something sustainable, a legacy piece that will last.”