After visiting the Turing Tap for lunch, we visited the Whitworth Art Gallery.

Thanks to Angel for this write-up: “Sir Joseph Whitworth was an engineer born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 1803. He was a pioneer in the design and assembly of elements in textile machines, which were previously built as unique parts.

When he died, he had an estimated fortune of £130 million. With that money, the Whitworth High School and Park was created, which currently monitors thousands of works of art. Whitworth Institute has historically promoted “useful art,” both in textile products, Sir Joseph Whitworth’s specialty, architecture, furniture and everything around us in everyday life.

One of Sir Joseph Whitworth’s contributions was to “industrialise” textile designs, which were manually produced in India, Africa and America, making them popular and affordable to the whole world. This work was not odd to the expulsion of colonies during the “Pax Britannica” (1815-1914), a period that coincided with Victoria’s reign and the British imperial boom. Currently, Whitworth High School seeks to restore the historical rights of the creators of the former colonies.

The park and gallery are open to the public free of charge.”

More photos can be seen here.

Treating HIV is about to get a whole lot easier

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a form of HIV treatment that only needs to be taken once every two months with an injection in the buttocks.

The FDA already approved a once-a-month injection in January 2021. The shot contains cabotegravir (ViiV Healthcare) and rilpivirine (Janssen Pharmaceuticals). At the time, its makers said they were confident that the shot could work for longer, but needed more data to back up the claim.

The once-every-two-month injection is for HIV-positive adults who are already virally suppressed, have shown no previous treatment failure or resistance to either of the drugs involved.

The FDA granted approval after results from a trial showed the injections remained efficient if given every couple of months.

The lead researcher involved with that trial, Turner Overton, MD, a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said in a statement, “Many people living with HIV face challenges with daily therapies and are interested in alternative dosing options.

In clinical trials, approximately nine out of every ten trial participants preferred long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine dosed every two months compared to daily oral cabotegravir and rilpivirine.”

Viiv Healthcare is predominantly owned by GlaxoSmithKline. Lynn Baxter, Head of North America at ViiV Healthcare, said in a statement announcing the approval, “Today’s approval is a remarkable achievement given where HIV treatment was just a decade ago. We know some people living with HIV struggle with taking daily oral pills, and Cabenuva may allow them to maintain viral suppression while significantly reducing dosing to as few as six times a year.”

Long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine are already approved for use every two months in Canada under the name Cabenuva and in the EU as Vocabria and Rekambys.

Matthew Hodson, Chief Executive of HIV information organisation NAM aidsmap, welcomed the news: “For many people taking daily pills becomes an emotional burden, a constant reminder that their health is at risk without medication. For some, who are unable to be open about their need for HIV treatment, it can create considerable obstacles to necessary adherence required for HIV medication to be effective. For many, a switch to injections just six times a year will be a liberation.”

Pioneers Who Broke Barriers and Changed Lives

The LGBTQ+ community shares a rich community history rooted in courage, compassion, defiance, and activism that we should be proud of. Here are just a few of the LGBTQ+ pioneers who broke barriers and changed lives:

Ernestine Eckstein | 1941 – 1992

Ernestine Eckstein was one of the most radical thinkers of her time and an influential activist in the LGBTQ+ equality and Black Feminist movements of the 1960s. During a period of history when the vast majority of the LGBTQ+ equality movement was led by, strategised by, and voiced by white people, Ernestine brought her insight and experience with the Civil Rights Movement and pushed for greater lobbying and demonstration efforts. She saw public demonstrations as an essential tool for enacting change, and in 1966 said: “Picketing I regard as almost a conservative act now. The homosexual has to call attention to the fact that he’s been unjustly acted upon. This is what the Negro did.” Most of the recorded history we have is from an interview that Ernestine did with “The Ladder” in 1966. She was one of only two women of colour to be featured on the cover.

Audre Lorde | 1934 – 1992

Audre Lorde committed her life to combating the racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia that she encountered. Lorde found her passion for poetry when she was a young teenager and as she got older, compiled a library of powerful poems of protest and literature surrounding the feminist, civil rights, LGBTQ+ equality, and black cultural movements. Audrey herself was an accomplished essayist, and in 1981 founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press to provide a platform for other black feminists to publish their literature. Whether raising her voice during the National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights or writing from her home, Audrey never hesitated to speak out against injustice and discrimination.

James Baldwin | 1924 – 1987

One of the 20^th century’s most acclaimed writers, James Baldwin used his literary platform to explore and expose racial and social issues. James’ first novel, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” was published in 1953. The following year, James received the Guggenheim Fellowship, with which he wrote his second novel, “Giovanni’s Room”,  featuring a complex – and at the time, taboo – depiction of homosexuality. James was open about his sexuality and relationships with both men and women, and continued to depict this controversial topic in his writing. Throughout his career, he never failed to provide a prolific and starkly honest window into the black LGBTQ+ experience.

Mabel Hampton | 1902 – 1986

Mabel was an outspoken lesbian, activist, and philanthropist during the Harlem Renaissance. Mabel was a dancer in all-Black productions, an active volunteer for the New York Defence Recreation Committee, and a committed supporter of numerous LGBTQ+ organisations. When she was 82, Mabel stood up at the New York City Pride Parade and shouted to the crowd, “I, Mabel Hampton, have been a lesbian all my life, for 82 years, and I am proud of myself and my people. I would like all my people to be free in this country and all over the world, my gay people and my black people.” Throughout her long life, Mabel preserved letters and records capturing the experiences of Black women and lesbians, which she later donated to the Lesbian Herstory Archives.

Bayard Rustin | 1912 – 1987

Bayard Rustin was an incredible leader in the American civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and LGBTQ+ equality movements. Best known for his civil rights activism, Rustin helped organise the 1941 March on Washington, he facilitated Freedom Rides, and was an organiser of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. However, Bayard was much more than just a civil rights activist. He was also a passionate humanitarian who advocated for many missions, including aiding refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as in Haiti. In the 1980s, Rustin began to engage in LGBTQ+ activism, testifying on behalf of New York State’s Gay Rights Bill in 1986.

Marsha P Johnson | 1945 – 1992

Who better to end with than the iconic Marsha P Johnson? Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, she moved to New York City in 1963 with $15 and a bag of clothes. Marsha supported herself as a sex worker, but could often be found in Greenwich Village on her nights off. Marsha was only 23 on the night that the Stonewall Inn was raided, yet she was right in the front, alongside those resisting the police. But Marsha’s impact spanned far more than a single, albeit iconic, night. She was a dedicated AIDS activist, an outspoken voice for LGBTQ+ equality, and a co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, a collective that provided support for homeless LGBTQ+ people and sex workers.

Manchester Pride Conference 2022

Join Manchester Pride at their fourth annual Manchester Pride Conference on Tuesday 22 March 2022!

Greater Manchester, A City to be Proud In: Sustaining Greater Manchester’s Legacy of Pioneering LGBTQ+ Rights

This is a full day of conversations, panels and workshops at The Lowry, Salford.

Please go to the website here to find out more details and to register. Each person must register in order to attend.