What is "gingerbeer"

n. (alternative spelling of ginger beer English)

Gingerbeer may refer to:

• Ginger beer, a drink
• Gingerbeer (web community), a London-based web community for lesbians and bisexual women

Gingerbeer is a London-based virtual community for lesbian and bisexual women. The name "Gingerbeer" ( Cockney rhyming slang for " queer") refers to both the web site, and to the community which it supports. It is maintained and moderated entirely by a team of volunteers.

Gingerbeer was initially launched on January 1, 2000, and has undergone two subsequent relaunches, firstly on June 25, 2001, and later on November 11, 2005, following a major redesign. Gingerbeer became an official not-for-profit organisation in March 2004, when it was registered as a limited company by guarantee.

The site's main feature is a highly active messageboards forum, with over 2,000 registered members in May 2007. In the eighteen months to the end of May 2007, they had logged over 335,000 posts in over 5000 topics or discussion threads. One of the distinctive features of the messageboards is that they support an active calendar of social, cultural and sporting events across the UK, so that Gingerbeer exists as both a web community and a real life community.

Besides the messageboards, Gingerbeer offers listings of bars, clubs and community events, reviews, and a London guide. Gingerbeer has been recommended as a useful resource for lesbians by some travel guides.