Box of Me

On Saturday, 20 January a group of us met for a “Box of Me” workshop.

“Box of Me” is a fun and informative group workshop for LGBT+ adults which invites you to think more about the plans you could put in place for the future, to ensure you can be your authentic and true self right to the end of your life (and beyond!) This session is produced and delivered as part of a collaboration between Pride in Ageing and St Ann’s Hospice.

We were provided with a box, which will contain all of the planning and information we gathered during the session. We were able to chat openly and freely about the plans we could be putting in place and add information about the things that are important to us in our box.

These include:

• My life story, identity and who is important to me

• My advance care plan and decision-making

• My will

• Donating my organs

• What my funeral would look like.

We were able to ask questions about pension nomination forms and Facebook profiles. At the end of the session we took our box home so that we can add to it over time and keep it in a safe place for the future. It’s important to tell a trusted friend or family member where it is.

Rainbow Lottery Super Draw!

We hope this email finds you in high spirits, and relaxing after a wonderful Christmas! We’re not hanging around though – we’re thrilled to announce our first Super Draw of ‘24, and guess what? You could be the lucky winner of a £1,000 luxury holiday!

But hold on, we get it – everyone’s got their own idea of the perfect getaway. So, we’re spicing things up a bit. If travelling isn’t your cup of tea, no worries! You can also opt for a £1,000 cash alternative. Yep, we’re all about making dreams come true, your way.

Now, let’s talk about the possibilities. Imagine relaxing in a luxurious spa, exploring charming European cities, or even having a cozy countryside staycation. The options are as endless as your imagination!

Need some inspiration? Check out these cool ideas:

City Staycation: Discover hidden gems in UK cities. Treat yourself to a fancy dinner, spa day, or a night at a luxury hotel – you deserve it!

European Adventure: Explore the cobblestone streets of Rome, indulge in pastries in Paris, or hit the beaches of the Greek Islands.

Countryside Retreat: If you prefer the peace and quiet, why not get away to a cabin in the Lakes, or a cottage in the Welsh hills?

Sun-kissed Getaway: At this time of year, wouldn’t you like to picture yourself sipping a fruity cocktail on a golden beach, with the crystal waves lapping at your toes?

Remember, it’s all about YOUR dream escape. The possibilities are as diverse as your taste in music, and we want to make sure your prize is as fantastic as you are.

So, don’t miss out on the chance to turn 2024 into a year of adventure and relaxation! Get those lottery tickets and cross your fingers – this might just be the start of your next great adventure.

Don’t forget, with our Super Draw, you can now TOP UP your tickets, just for the week of the Super Draw? Your weekly tickets will still give you a chance to win this amazing prize of course, but every extra ticket you buy will be an extra chance to win – so if you see a prize you like the look of, just grab a couple of extra Super Draw tickets! Just click the button above to buy now for the draw on Saturday 27 January.

Best of luck, and here’s to a fabulous 2024!

Thank you and good luck! Buy tickets here.

Community Session

Tuesday, 30 January – 6.00pm – 8.00pm – Presentation by Out In The City – Free

The Proud Place, LGBT+ Community Centre, 49-51 Sidney Street, Manchester M1 7HB

Join Manchester Pride and Out in the City to discuss being aged 50+ and LGBTQ+ in Greater Manchester.

Tony from Out in the City will talk about all the brilliant work that the group has done over the past year, the challenges that come with being included in the pride movement and what we can do to fully include, support and celebrate all those in the community that have paved the way. Book on Eventbrite.

“Gender Pioneers” reminds readers that trans people are not new

Open this book anywhere and you’ll see that the theme here is serious, but author Philippa Punchard also lends a bit of breeze. There’s no certain order to what you’ll read, and while the entries reach back to ancient times, they focus more on the past 300 years or so; each of the articles is short and to-the-point, and the soft illustrations invite browsing. For readers who want a quick read, this works.

In 1912, French audiences were thrilled by the talent of a trapeze artist known as Barbette. The lovely Barbette flew over the heads of Parisians solo, gracefully, and the best citizens followed those performances avidly. By 1919, Babette added to the end of the performance the revelation that “she” was really Vander Clyde Broadway, a male performer.

We might think that being transgender is “new” and just “a Western thing,” but Punchard has reason to disagree: history is dotted with men passing as women, and women living as men. As Christine Burns says in the foreword, “Trans people are not a new thing.”

Some seemed to do it as a means to an end: Ellen and William Craft wore clothing of the opposite sex in order to escape slavery in 1848. Betty Cooper may have worn men’s clothing for the same reason in 1771. Neither case, says Punchard, indicates “classical” trans behaviour, but we’ll never know for sure.

Biawacheeitchish, who grew up to be powerful, wealthy, with four wives, was kidnapped as a young girl and was encouraged by their Native American adoptive father to engage in male activities, perhaps because he’d lost two sons; in another time and place, Biawacheeitchish would’ve been called a “female husband.” Dora Richter, the first woman to receive vaginoplasty, was killed by “a Nazi mob.” Dr James Barry, a highly renowned surgeon, used “built-up shoes and… padding to appear more masculine…” James Allen and Billy Tipton were both married to women before death revealed that they were female. And Mary Read was a girl, until their mother lost her only son.

In her foreword, Burns says that there are “two awkward challenges” when we talk about trans people in history: were they intersex, rather than trans; and were they people – mostly women – who presented as the opposite gender to gain the benefits of the opposite gender? The questions demand more study and “Gender Pioneers” offers a launching point.

Be sure to keep going through both appendices of this book, where you’ll find a wealth of further information and dates to remember.

Historians and readers of trans history will find “Gender Pioneers” just right.