Familiq founder Craig Hislop moved to Launceston from Melbourne four years ago and was immediately struck by the absence of dedicated spaces for the community.

"It [queer culture] is so huge in Melbourne, but I love Launceston and I'm not planning on moving anytime soon. So this was something I wanted to get started," he said.

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Mr Hislop said that the absence of community spaces and connection often left LGBTQIA+ people in Northern Tasmania feeling isolated.

"There are a lot of LGBTQIA+ people in Launceston who move away," he said.

"So they don't feel safe or there are more opportunities in other places. So I just want to give rise to more opportunity here."

The absence of a dedicated space for the LGBTQIA+ community in Launceston has another drawback- a lack of visibility in the wider community.

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Mr Hislop said that visibility for his community had been quite low and he hoped that dedicated events would help raise awareness and help bring queer culture to the North.

"At the moment it feels a bit like everyone is hiding," he said.

"It would be nice to have more visibility and show that the LGBTQIA+ community does exist here."

After holding their first event this month- a drag performance- Mr Hislop said the community response had been overwhelmingly positive.

"Everyone was really impressed by how inclusive and how safe the environment felt," he said

"And that's exactly what I wanted to create."

Mr Hislop said that often queer performers felt that they had to move away from Launceston in order to start their careers.

"I want to provide opportunities so they don't feel like they have to move to Hobart or Melbourne straight away," he said.

Although still in its infancy, Mr Hislop has big plans to help improve the lives of all queer people living in Launceston- with FamiliQ's ethos of inclusivity.

"We will not and we refuse to reject anyone," he said

"And I want the message to be that 'you are queer enough'. Sometimes people feel that they're not loud enough or outrageous enough to be part of the group.

"And I don't want that, I want everyone to feel welcome and feel comfortable."

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