A star from Drag Race UK has issued a warning about the chemsex “crisis” affecting the gay community.
Appearing on dating expert Paul Brunson’s We Need To Talk podcast, Bimini – who earlier this year talked about their own struggle with substance abuse, depression and anxiety – spoke about what they see as a rising predicament.
“[Chemsex] is a crisis. There’s a problem more so than ever before,” they said.
In 2020, the UK authorities launched an operation to curb chemsex crimes, following Britain’s most prolific rapist, Reynhard Sinaga, being convicted of 159 sex offences against 48 men in Manchester – seen by many as a chemsex hotspot. It is thought he drugged many of his victims using gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).
At the time, the Metropolitan Police described chemsex as the “crisis of our time” for LGBT+ communities, noting that there have been more than 60 fatal overdoses – including murder – linked to drugs such as GHB and GBL in London alone.
‘We need more spaces that are community driven’
Bimini continued: “No one’s going out as much, nightclubs are shutting down. People don’t need to go out now to meet other people. They can just go on an app and hook up with someone. You can basically, if you wanted, go to a party at any time of the day.
“I’ve seen first-hand the change in drugs being used in clubs. There’s not enough harm reduction, not enough information. We need more spaces that are community driven.”
Messages such as “P&P” (party and play) are the alternative opening lines for a niche community of gay and bisexual men on dating apps. Chemsex parties are the general term for any sex party with drugs, whereas “slamming” is specifically related to events where gay men inject drugs to get a more intense high than they would from snorting or swallowing drugs.
PinkNews has, in the past, reported on suggestions that gay men are turning to chemsex because of loneliness. Bimini revealed in January that many of their problems had roots in the fact that they “didn’t cope well” with the “pressure” linked to appearances on TV.
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