Interview: g.irlevents

We caught up with Terri Hartshorn, Katie Mellor and Erris Burke, the organisers of the new queer event night, g.irlevents. Read all about how G.irlevents began, their coming out stories and more in our interview below.

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organisers fo g.irlevents

So tell us a bit about yourself?

Terri: Katie and I are both from Manchester but didn’t meet until I moved to London about 3 years ago. We’re both into business and eCommerce so we met up to discuss starting a business together (our jewellery brand Adorn Lab), and we very quickly became best friends. Erris and I met through about TikTok a year ago, and when she moved to London we all started hanging out, and now we’re a little crew.

How did g.irlevents come about?

Terri: The 3 of us went on a night out together posted it on our TikTok accounts. People started commenting saying they wanted to party with us, so the idea sparked from there. We weren’t happy with the current offering for LGBTQ+ women in London, so we wanted to create a night out that everyone would enjoy. A safe space, no attitudes, good music, premium drinks and elevated experiences. We also have a meet up group for people who don’t have queer friends, it’s got over 300 members and over the past 6 months many of the attendees have formed friendship groups, relationships and even been on holidays together. It’s heart-warming to know we’re connecting the community like that.  

Aside from working on g.irlevents, what do you do?

Terri: I’m a social media manager for a fashion retail company, and also run a creative social agency (matecreative.com) & a jewellery brand (adornlab.com) with Katie. We’re never not working!

Erris: I’m also a music therapist and I do content creation. I signed with Komodo the agency here in London for TikTok when I moved over so I do a bit of both of those alongside G.IRL events.

What are your coming out stories? Sorry, but everyone loves a coming out story…

Terri: My mum is gay and has been with her wife for over 25 years. I didn’t really need to come out, when I was about 14 my mum just asked me one day if I had a girlfriend and I said “yeah”. It was really normalised in my family, I know I’m super lucky to have had that. Coming out at school was a little more difficult, my group of friends stopped talking to me, so I made new friends.

Erris:  I had a pretty natural coming out story. I started dating a girl and just brought her around. I never came out to my friends per say I just naturally introduced them to my girlfriend as you would if you were straight. That’s how I think it should be so it’s how I felt most natural to do it.

If you could use a magic telephone to call yourself at 15 years old what would you say?

Terri: Don’t start smoking! Also, know that there’s a range of careers that haven’t even been invented yet so follow your passions and it will all work out.

Erris: I think I would tell my 15 year old self to not doubt the things the I aspire or imagine I could do. If you work hard and really believe in yourself you can create so much. So much of the work I do now I would have only imagined I could do at 15. So I’d probably tell myself to work hard and not doubt that those things are a possibility. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Terri: My dad tells me: ”This too shall pass” and that got me through a lot of tough times.

Erris: Whatever you do – give it 100%. I think that will stand to you in whatever you decide to do. Because someone has to do it, so why can’t it be you, if you give it 100% there is no reason it can’t be you.

If you’re not at a g.irlevents event, where do you go out?

Terri: We actually don’t go out out much anymore except for G.IRL events! But we’ll usually go for dinners, go for drinks in Soho House or go to a different city for the weekend.

Who’s your celebrity crush and why?

Terri: Kendall Jenner – because she’s naturally beautiful and has a business mind.

Erris: Hayley Kiyoko – when I saw her performing live I thought she was really cool.

Katie: Constance Nunes – she’s a fit mechanic.

When is your next event?

Terri: We announce the next event the day after each event. But we’ve got a London event in May, some regional events throughout June and July, and a big secret project happening in August! For up to date info follow our Instagram @g.irlevents.

Check out the girls on their socials –

Instagram @g.irlevents

Tiktok @g.irlevents

Terri IG @subsocial / TikTok @subsocialworld

Erris TikTok @essimayy / IG errisb

Katie IG/TikTok @ecomkatie

Find out more information and book your tickets for their next event on May the 13th at Sway in Holborn. We went to their last event and we strongly recommend you go!

Love Team Nonchalant xx

Last Updated on 20th December 2022 by Nonchalant Magazine

Nonchalant Magazine
Nonchalant Magazine

This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.

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