{"id":52583,"date":"2026-05-10T14:23:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T13:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/?p=52583"},"modified":"2026-05-10T14:24:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T13:24:01","slug":"when-cruising-excludes-rethinking-darkrooms-at-pride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ket.brussels\/nl\/2026\/05\/10\/when-cruising-excludes-rethinking-darkrooms-at-pride\/","title":{"rendered":"When Cruising Excludes: Rethinking Darkrooms at Pride"},"content":{"rendered":"

During\u00a0Brussels Pride 2026, Stammbar is once again proving it is more than a cruising bar. Since its 10th anniversary, the venue has been positioning itself as a nightlife space\u00a0en<\/em>\u00a0a place for conversation, doubt and collective reflection about the realities that shape queer lives. This year, that commitment takes the form of a new public talk organised in collaboration with\u00a0Pavel, Mr Bear Belgium 2026, tackling a subject that many people feel but rarely discuss in the open: who are cruising spaces really for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cruising, a (cis) men\u2019s story?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday 14 May, from 14:30 to 16:30<\/strong>, Stammbar hosts a conversation titled \u201cCruising, a (cis) men\u2019s story?\u201d<\/strong> op 114 Rue March\u00e9 au Charbon, 1000 Brussels<\/strong>. The starting point is simple and uncomfortable at the same time: women, allies, trans and non\u2011binary people are part of our communities and often at the forefront of care and support \u2013 yet they frequently find themselves excluded as soon as cruising areas and darkrooms enter the picture, whether because of explicit rules, unspoken behaviour codes or long\u2011standing cultural habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The talk invites everyone to sit with a series of sharp questions. Why are these spaces still mostly designed around cis male experiences<\/strong>? What impact does this exclusion have on those who are kept outside, and on the community as a whole? And how could cruising environments evolve towards more inclusive models, without ignoring the feelings, limits and fears expressed by part of the existing audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stammbar, a key player in Brussels\u2019 cruising culture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Located in the heart of the Regenboogdorp<\/strong>, just a few steps from the Grand\u2011Place, Stembalk<\/strong> has become one of Brussels\u2019 essential cruising and fetish addresses since opening in 2013. With its industrial design, darkroom and dedicated cruising zones, it is known as the city\u2019s premier LGBTQIA+ cruise and fetish club<\/strong>, popular with bears, leather fans and their admirers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the bar has also, in recent years, leaned into a different dimension of queer culture: hosting talks, exhibitions and community events that question how these spaces function and whom they serve. This Pride\u2011season conversation fits neatly into that trajectory, showing that a sex\u2011positive venue can also be a place where norms are challenged and re\u2011imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A space to question, not to prescribe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The aim of \u201cCruising, a (cis) men\u2019s story?\u201d<\/strong> is not to deliver ready\u2011made answers or a new rulebook. Instead, the organisers want to create a space for exchange<\/strong> around the realities, tensions and contradictions that exist inside cruising and darkroom environments. How do safety, desire, fear and exclusion intersect once the lights go down? What would it take to imagine different configurations, and who gets to decide?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion is an invitation to listen, disagree, evolve and grow together<\/strong>. In other words, to treat queer spaces not as frozen traditions, but as living ecosystems that can and should be questioned \u2013 especially during Brussels Pride\u2019s 30th anniversary<\/strong>, under the motto \u201cWhen Times Get Darker, We Shine Brighter.\u201d<\/em> By opening up this conversation in the middle of Pride Week, Stammbar and Pavel are reminding everyone that community care also means looking critically at the places we love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical info<\/h2>\n\n\n\n