Safer Spaces

On Friday and Saturday nights, one bar staff member will act as the designated Safer Spaces person. They will wear a bright green lanyard or badge, and their name will be written on the chalkboard above the bar.

This person is the first point of contact for any concerns raised, and are first aid trained if you're feeling unwell. They will listen, gather details, and work with you to implement any immediate support or action. 

If an incident has occurred, the Safer Spaces person may suggest that you try resolving the situation directly yourself, with their support, or with the support of other members. Example: If you report someone is not picking up on social cues and overstepping your personal space, the Safer Spaces person may advise you to speak to that person directly in the first instance. The actions in this example recognise that people interpret social cues differently, and clear and direct communication could resolve the situation. 

• If an incident is reported but does not explicitly break the membership agreement, staff will be informed and will monitor the situation.

• If someone has explicitly broken the membership agreement, bar staff or the Safer Spaces lead can eject them, sometimes without the harmed person’s consent, especially if there is a high risk of further harm to them or others.

Some examples of serious breaches of the membership agreement include:

• Violence or aggressive behaviour (e.g. physical violence such as punching, shouting in someone’s face and/or squaring up to them).

• Touching someone without consent in a sexually motivated way (e.g. groping).

• Touching body parts or hair in a way that suggests entitlement.

• Harassment or overstepping boundaries (e.g. repeated unwanted conduct such as persistently approaching/talking to someone after being told to leave them alone, or continuing to make advances when being told to stop).

• Phobic attitudes towards identity, such as but not limited to, race, gender, orientation, age and/or body types.

We recognise that violence, harassment and aggression are subjective and can mean different things depending on your gender, class, race or social background. In this context, they refer to behaviour that has harmed or poses a risk of harm and breaches the membership agreement. 

The nature of some events that Gut Level hosts can be sexy, kink positive and cruise friendly. Cruise/cruising in this instance means flirting, gauging mutual attraction, and if agreed by both/all parties, finding a suitable place away from the Gut Level premises to continue your party. Any kind of cruising/sex positive events of this nature will have an event description highlighting this. This does NOT mean the event is a sex party, and we do not invite sex and/or genital nudity into communal areas of the space. Gut Level takes pride in knowing it is a place where lots of queer besties and sexies have met. You can attend a kink positive or cruise friendly night without any intention of cruising or hooking up with people and decline potential advances and communicate your boundaries.

We recommend all members read the event description before attending any event to ensure it feels like a comfortable fit for you and if you are ever unsure reach out via: hello@gutlevel.co.uk or pop by the space when it is open and speak to staff. 

Regardless of the type of event, we hope you can make it more fun by living the values set out in the membership agreement and caring for each other by:

• Reaching out if you feel unwell or you notice someone else is.

• Respecting boundaries and noting social cues are not universal. 

• Remembering what's okay for you might not be for someone else as everyone’s physical and emotional limits are different. 

• Keeping your communication direct and checking in with others. 

• Avoiding making assumptions or asking intrusive questions. 

• Recognising your own responsibilities in gaining and maintaining consent.

• Being intoxicated is never a free pass! 

On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, there will not be a designated Safer Spaces with a lanyard on, but the Gut Level bar staff are equipped to respond to any issues raised on the night. Gut Level’s membership agreement applies to everyone, including bar staff, promoters, performers and DJs.

It is important to recognise that an incident that requires reporting to Safer Spaces is not the same as an ongoing feud where those involved have not caused harm in the venue to you or anyone else. If you and another member simply don’t get along, that is for you to manage (for example, agreeing with your nemesis which events you’ll take in turn to attend). Action is usually only taken when something has occurred in Gut Level, members have tried to resolve it themselves, and all other options have been exhausted. At that point, bar staff or Safer Spaces can step in.