Making friends as an adult can feel like applying for a job you’re wildly overqualified for but somehow still nervous about. Add being queer, trans, or non-binary, and finding your people can sometimes feel like searching for a very specific book in a library with no labels.
The good news? Queer hobbies make connection easier. When our hands are busy, the pressure to perform disappears. We can talk, laugh, learn, and slowly build the kind of community that feels like chosen family.
At Read with Pride, we love the way stories bring people together. But the same energy found in MM romance tropes such as forced proximity, found family, and slow burn can happen in real life too: usually with more yarn and fewer dramatic rainstorms.
Crafting circles: the original forced-proximity trope
A knitting, crochet, embroidery, or collage group is a wonderfully low-pressure way to meet other LGBTQ+ people. You don’t need to be an expert. In fact, being a beginner gives everyone an immediate conversation starter.
“Can someone explain what I just did to this stitch?” is practically the queer equivalent of a meet-cute.
Craft circles work because they offer structure without demanding constant conversation. You can chat when you feel like it, focus quietly when you don’t, and still feel part of the group. Over time, the casual “pass the scissors” friendship can develop into something deeper: regular check-ins, shared meals, mutual support, and plenty of opinions about the best MM romance books.
For inspiration, explore Queer Crafting & Community Building, where creativity, connection, and grassroots organising meet.
Zines turn shared stories into community action
Zine-making is part art project, part storytelling session, and part “what if we changed the world with a glue stick?” It gives queer people a way to share ideas, experiences, resources, poetry, humour, and outrage without waiting for permission from a gatekeeper.
A zine night could focus on anything from queer joy and local LGBTQ+ history to favourite MM romance tropes. Maybe your group creates a mini-guide to enemies-to-lovers tension. Maybe you make a resource booklet for queer young people. Maybe you spend two hours cutting out glittery letters and achieve absolutely nothing except having a great time.
That still counts.
The magic is in creating something together. A hobby becomes community building when people feel welcome to contribute, learn from one another, and take up space in their own voices.
Add a queer book club to the mix
Reading groups are another brilliant third space: somewhere that isn’t home, work, or a noisy bar where everyone is shouting over the music.
A queer book club can be as focused or chaotic as you like. Try a monthly theme such as:
- Slow-burn MM romance
- Found family in queer fiction
- Enemies-to-lovers gay romance novels
- Emotional LGBTQ+ ebooks
- Lesbian romance and queer love stories
The book gives everyone something to talk about, but the real connection happens around it. Someone recommends a new release. Someone else shares a personal experience. Someone brings snacks shaped suspiciously like tiny rainbows. Suddenly, you’re not just discussing fictional relationships: you’re building genuine ones.
You can find more ideas in Building Queer Connection One Hobby at a Time.
Turn hobbies into a welcoming ritual
The best queer hobby groups don’t require perfection, expensive equipment, or an encyclopaedic knowledge of crochet terminology. They need consistency and care.
Choose a recurring time. Keep the activity beginner-friendly. Make accessibility part of the plan. State clearly that all LGBTQ+ identities are welcome, and don’t assume everyone wants the same kind of social experience.
Some people want lively conversation. Others prefer parallel play: sitting with the group while quietly reading, sketching, knitting, or making a zine. Both are valid.
You can also connect your hobby to local community building through a craft sale, mutual-aid fundraiser, Pride project, clothing swap, or book drive. Joy and action are not opposites. Sometimes they arrive holding hands.
Find your next joyful connection
Whether you’re a crochet beginner, a zine enthusiast, a book-club regular, or someone who is simply curious, there is space for you. Start small. Invite one or two people. Bring snacks. Pick a story from Read with Pride and see where the conversation goes.
Follow Read with Pride on Facebook and Instagram to share your favourite queer hobbies, reading recommendations, and community-building ideas.
Your next great connection might begin with a ball of yarn, a stack of paper, or one very passionate debate about the best MM romance tropes.
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