Clare Summerskill

Clare Summerskill is a stand-up, a singer-songwriter, an actor, and a playwright. In her latest show, “I’ve Been Clare Summerskill”, she combines her comedy and song-writing talents to reflect upon her long career as what she terms ‘a professional lesbian’!

Her humour is warm and welcoming and often far too close to the bone. Audience members of any age, sexual orientation or gender identity will relish her unique take on matters of love and lust, marriage and divorce, and middle-aged worries and wisdom. Her comedy songs are hilarious and, as you will discover, Clare is a multi-talented comedian and musician.

Brewers Manchester, 4 Canal Street, Manchester M1 3HE

Friday, 27 May 2022 at 7.30pm

Accessibility – Accessible Toilets, Service Animals Welcome, Wheelchair Accessible

Tickets £10 to £12 here

Rebel Dykes

A group of us went to see “Rebel Dykes” at HOME Cinema as part of the University of Manchester’s Sexuality Summer School. The screening was followed by a Q&A. Jackie Stacey and Monica Pearl were in conversation with Siobhan Fahey, director and producers Harri Shanahan and Sian A Williams. 

“Rebel Dykes” is a full-length documentary about the explosion that happened when punk met feminism, told through the lives of a gang of lesbians in the riotous London of the 1980s. The tight knit group of friends met at Greenham Common peace camp and went on to become artists, performers, musicians and activists.

The film includes animation, archive footage, interviews and reconstructions to tell the story of squatting, BDSM nightclubs and radical politics. It’s a desperately needed piece of lesbian history and a reminder of how much lesbians have done for the LGBTQ+ community.

It’s a fun and raunchy documentary, that doesn’t shy away from the tougher aspects of being queer. One of our group commented: “Wow what a great night, really moving, lots of memories. Rebel Dykes – wow oh wow”.

Full Steam Ahead

We met at Victoria Train station and Bury Interchange and made our way to the East Lancashire Railway. We just had time for light refreshments at Trackside (the railway bar) before making our way to Platform 3 to catch the steam train. The staff were friendly and welcoming and Out in the City had a whole carriage to ourselves.

The East Lancashire Railway is a 12.5 mile heritage railway line which runs between Heywood, Greater Manchester and Rawtenstall in Lancashire. It opened in 1846, but Angel pointed out that Cuba had a railway in 1837, the first in Latin America.

The time in Rawtenstall passed quickly and it was soon time to return. It was another fabulous day and more photos can be seen here.

Drag Royalty Jubilee

Join the real Royalty of Manchester celebrating the Jubilee and the drag excellence of Manchester hosted by Donna Trump and featuring an array of performances from Kings, Queens, Things and all in between!

Comedy, dance, music, laughter tears – who knows what to expect from our royal drag community!

Thursday, 2 June 6.30pm – 10.00pm – Tony Wilson Place, First Street (the space outside HOME Cinema) – Free

This is the start of the First Street Festival 2022 – Free live music, family fun and more from Thursday, 2 June, every weekend until Sunday, 3 July. Following the success of Homeground 2021, HOME is delighted to present First Street Festival 2022 – with live music, family events, drag performances, yoga, DJs and more. A central stage in Tony Wilson Place (in front of HOME) will form the focal point of the festival. All events are free and there’s no need to book, just pop along and enjoy yourself. The bank holiday (Thursday 2 – Sunday 5 June) features acts programmed by HOME. Subsequent weekends will feature programming from our partner organisations Brighter Sound, SM Music MGMT, All Hands on Deck and The Untold Orchestra.

Queer East Shorts

Queer East presents a showcase of rarely seen queer shorts from East and Southeast Asia.

Queer East exists to amplify the voices of queer Asian communities, to challenge normative definitions of gender and sexual expression, and to introduce UK audiences to LGBTQIA+ cinema that they might not otherwise get a chance to see.

Queer East Film Festival 2022 is available on BFI Player for free