diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 54e44e4c..bd8812a9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 - `EventsLoop::get_available_monitors` and `EventsLoop::get_primary_monitor` now have identical counterparts on `Window`, so this information can be acquired without an `EventsLoop` borrow.
 - `AvailableMonitorsIter` now implements `Debug`.
 - Fixed quirk on macOS where certain keys would generate characters at twice the normal rate when held down.
+- On X11, all event loops now share the same `XConnection`.
 
 # Version 0.15.1 (2018-06-13)
 
diff --git a/src/platform/linux/mod.rs b/src/platform/linux/mod.rs
index 83f0869d..9e209521 100644
--- a/src/platform/linux/mod.rs
+++ b/src/platform/linux/mod.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ use std::ffi::CStr;
 use std::os::raw::*;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
+use parking_lot::Mutex;
 use sctk::reexports::client::ConnectError;
 
 use {
@@ -50,9 +51,9 @@ pub struct PlatformSpecificWindowBuilderAttributes {
     pub x11_window_type: x11::util::WindowType,
 }
 
-thread_local!(
-    pub static X11_BACKEND: Result<Arc<XConnection>, XNotSupported> = {
-        XConnection::new(Some(x_error_callback)).map(Arc::new)
+lazy_static!(
+    pub static ref X11_BACKEND: Mutex<Result<Arc<XConnection>, XNotSupported>> = {
+        Mutex::new(XConnection::new(Some(x_error_callback)).map(Arc::new))
     };
 );
 
@@ -357,29 +358,28 @@ unsafe extern "C" fn x_error_callback(
     display: *mut x11::ffi::Display,
     event: *mut x11::ffi::XErrorEvent,
 ) -> c_int {
-    X11_BACKEND.with(|result| {
-        if let &Ok(ref xconn) = result {
-            let mut buf: [c_char; 1024] = mem::uninitialized();
-            (xconn.xlib.XGetErrorText)(
-                display,
-                (*event).error_code as c_int,
-                buf.as_mut_ptr(),
-                buf.len() as c_int,
-            );
-            let description = CStr::from_ptr(buf.as_ptr()).to_string_lossy();
+    let xconn_lock = X11_BACKEND.lock();
+    if let Ok(ref xconn) = *xconn_lock {
+        let mut buf: [c_char; 1024] = mem::uninitialized();
+        (xconn.xlib.XGetErrorText)(
+            display,
+            (*event).error_code as c_int,
+            buf.as_mut_ptr(),
+            buf.len() as c_int,
+        );
+        let description = CStr::from_ptr(buf.as_ptr()).to_string_lossy();
 
-            let error = XError {
-                description: description.into_owned(),
-                error_code: (*event).error_code,
-                request_code: (*event).request_code,
-                minor_code: (*event).minor_code,
-            };
+        let error = XError {
+            description: description.into_owned(),
+            error_code: (*event).error_code,
+            request_code: (*event).request_code,
+            minor_code: (*event).minor_code,
+        };
 
-            eprintln!("[winit X11 error] {:#?}", error);
+        eprintln!("[winit X11 error] {:#?}", error);
 
-            *xconn.latest_error.lock() = Some(error);
-        }
-    });
+        *xconn.latest_error.lock() = Some(error);
+    }
     // Fun fact: this return value is completely ignored.
     0
 }
@@ -441,14 +441,13 @@ r#"Failed to initialize any backend!
     }
 
     pub fn new_x11() -> Result<EventsLoop, XNotSupported> {
-        X11_BACKEND.with(|result| {
-            result
-                .as_ref()
-                .map(Arc::clone)
-                .map(x11::EventsLoop::new)
-                .map(EventsLoop::X)
-                .map_err(|err| err.clone())
-        })
+        X11_BACKEND
+            .lock()
+            .as_ref()
+            .map(Arc::clone)
+            .map(x11::EventsLoop::new)
+            .map(EventsLoop::X)
+            .map_err(|err| err.clone())
     }
 
     #[inline]