Submitted by Nigel Whitfield, Director, BLUF Ltd, 15 March 2020
••Update: 15th April 2020**
In light of the drastic action being taken in many countries around the world fight the corona virus pandemic, especially in Europe, I have decided that all our official events between now and the end of May will be cancelled.
BLUF events are organised by volunteers from the club, and I do not believe that we can insist that they host events, potentially putting themselves at risk. Nor is it right that we use the BLUF name to encourage people out to bars and other venues, at a time when many public health authorities are urging us to practice various forms of social isolation.
Accordingly, all official BLUF events from the 16th of March until at least the 31st of May have been cancelled. We will review events for June and later in the year in due course. However, note that local admins have already cancelled all Montréal events until at least the end of August, and in New York until further notice.
The affected events are (including those previously announced as cancelled):
I appreciate some members may be disappointed, and with so many events, besides our own, being cancelled, as well as whole cities placed under restrictions, it is inevitable that many parts of the leather economy will suffer during this pandemic.
I very much hope that our members, and the wider leather community, will be able to support LGBT businesses through this time, and that when we are able to safely resume events, people will show their support, to help our bars and clubs to get back on their feet.
In the meantime, BLUF is raising funds to support leather venues around the world. Click the link to make a donation.
Stay well. Keep safe. Protect each other.
Nigel.