Welcome to the KGS!

Welcome to the Knoxville Gay Social Website!

Welcome all to your new website! Our group has grown and we want to continue to grow as a community.  This also allows us more growing space, as we expand to offer blogs, a podcast, forum, etc.. I wanted to take a few moments to discuss why we are moving in this direction and what you can look forward to. The first part of that is transitioning to a new platform. 

So why a website? We began as a private (by invitation only) Facebook group. At that time, this allowed us to start small, with friends and friends of friends to slowly figure out what we wanted this group to become and how we might want to grow to become a resource for our community. Over time we have felt the need to be more available not only to potential new members but also to others who are learning about our group. We see this group as an opportunity to offer community to those who need it, to offer a space for networking, building lasting friendships and getting out and about in our beautiful East TN area. 

There are stereotypes that have become associated with ‘the gay community’. We found this to be many people's experience as they echoed the same reply, “it's so hard to make friends. It just feels so clique-y”. Here we can post and share our experiences for any visitor to see that we want to foster changing that perspective. Having a website allows us the privacy for members but also the exposure to combat the clique stereotype. 

Secondly, more functionality. Facebook was difficult to navigate having a closed private group and it allowed for limited interactions with our members. With the help of our new volunteer Digital Community Coordinator, Matt Roach, he has put together this website that served the educational and outreach purpose but also added the ability to post content such as blogs, give more context about our group and our vision by explaining our philosophy, a way to build more connections within our group with sub groups, and also future potential for donations and payment options when we all have to pitch in for tickets or when we do trips. We don't like the financial aspect as we would like to keep it free to low-cost. Yet, some have stepped forward wanting to contribute. We are working on a way to do so that it is conducive with filing taxes. Lastly it comes with an app that is great for checking the calendar of events quickly. 

Lastly, future potential growth, legitimacy, and opportunities. It’s been almost a year and this group has become the Knoxville Gay Social because of its members' support and feedback. We have so many ideas and plans ahead for continued growth and building community and exploring our community. A sneak peak looks like…potential volunteer groups, knitting groups, book club, more pop up events, hiking/camping trips, partnering with other local businesses and organizations, etc. 

Thank you all so much for being part of this passion project and making KGS what it is! Keep an eye out for future blogs describing our group and more!