Gay & Lesbian

Dance
Pink Jukebox
Dance yourself dizzy at this ballroom and Latin dance club for lesbians and gay men. Pink Jukebox, founded in 1996, offers tuition before its Sunday evening social dancing.
Loom Cocktail Bar, 5 Clipstone St, W1(www.pinkjukebox.co.uk). Great Portland St tube. Beginners class 4pm every 2nd & 4th Sun; social dancing Sun 5-8pm. Adm £9 (£7 to members) Membership £10 per year.

Martial arts
Ishigaki Ju-Jitsu Club
Ishigaki is the largest gay martial arts club in the UK. Established in 1994, it works to help members deal with potential prejudice and violence.
The Arts Educational School, Cone Ripman House, 14 Bath Rd, W4 (www.ishigaki.org.uk) Turnham Green tube. Mon 7.30-9.30pm; Finsbury Leisure Centre, Norman St, EC1, Barbican tube, Tue 7.30-9.30pm; Oasis Sports Centre, Endell St, WC2, Covent Garden tube. Thur 7.30-9.30pm, Sat 3.30-5.30pm. Membership £30 per year, sessions £8.

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KB Fitness
Instructor Kelly Bunyan set up this gay-friendly organisation in 1999 with kick-boxing classes but courses are now taught in self-defence, kung fu, yoga, Pilates, dance and tai chi and are open to both men and women. There are classes Mondays to Saturdays at a number of Central London locations.
American Church/Whitefield Memorial Church, 79a Tottenham Court Rd, W1 (020 7681 0114/www.kbfitness.co.uk) Goodge St tube. Quickstart Kickboxing Tues 8pm. Adm £42 per month or pick-and-mix all disciplines £82 per month.

Team sports
Grace’s Cricket Club
Named after legendary cricketer WG Grace (his descendants were reportedly ‘horrified’ by the use of the family name), GCC was formed in 1996 as a supporters' club. Within a year the group realised it had enough players to form a team of predominantly, but not exclusively, gay men. Their home ground is at West Essex Cricket Club in Highams Park, E4.
Indoor School, Lord’s Cricket Ground NW8 (www.gaycricket.org.uk) St John’s Wood tube. Practice sessions start in Feb Membership £35 for players, £17.50 for supporters.

King’s Cross Steelers
Set up in 1995 as the world’s first gay rugby team, the Steelers have a mission to ‘assert in front of the whole rugby community our value as competitive sportsmen through our progress and results’. Supporters are welcome at their home: East London Rugby Club in West Ham.
King’s Cross Steelers, Holland Rd, E15 (www.kxsrfc.com) West Ham tube. Annual membership £60 plus a £10 joining fee.

Leftfooters FC
The name for this gay and lesbian football club comes from its founding philosophy of: ‘if you can’t play football to save your life then you’ll be perfect for us.’ It’s a message borne out by its jumpers-for-goalposts approach in Regent’s Park. Despite the laidback appearance, Leftfooters is hosting August’s International Gay & Lesbian Foootball Association (IGLFA) World Championship in Regent’s Park, with the backing of the FA.
Regent’s Park, NW1 (www.leftfooters.org.uk; email info@leftfooters.org.uk) Regent’s Park tube. Meet in Regent’s Park near Gloucester Gate every Sun at 2pm (free) and also on Wed at 6.30pm in summer.

London Cruisers Basketball Club
A sports club whose name deliberately suggests the sexier side of knocking around a basketball court with similarly hot and sweaty types. Founded in 1998 for the Gay Games in Amsterdam, the Cruisers emphasise fun but with a competitive edge. There is a male and female team in the London Metropolitan League.
Bethnal Green Sports Centre, 6 Gosset St, E2 (www.cruisers.org.uk). Newcomers welcome to mixed session Sun 4-6pm. Adm £4.50 per session.

Stonewall FC
Founded in 1991 and now probably the best-known and strongest gay football club anywhere. Indeed, Stonewall are the current British, European, world and Gay Olympic champions. The first XI plays against straight opposition in the Middlesex County League (Premier and Junior Reserve Division). There’s weekly training near Latimer Rd.
Stonewall FC (07896 620513/www.stonewallfc.com).

Watersports
Out to Swim
Currently offering swimming lessons to novices starting in both January and February. Newbies can try out a session for free before signing up to one of its meets in various pools across the capital. Thursdays are the busiest, quite possibly because they involve post-dip pints in the pub. There are women-only sessions during the week.
Queen Mother Sports Centre, Vauxhall Bridge Rd, SW1 (www.outtoswim.org) Victoria tube/rail. Six-week swimming course starts Sun Feb 17. Course fee £50.

Goslings Sports Club
A club for swimming and badminton enthusiasts – though you don’t have to try both at once. Goslings began life as an informal meeting of gay swimmers in High Holborn in 1976 and is hosting its tenth London International Badminton Tournament in August.
Swimming at the Oasis Sports Centre, Endell St, WC2 (www.goslingsportsclub.com) Tottenham Court Rd tube. Mon 5.30-6.30pm, Thur 8.20pm. Adm £3.60 (concs for members).