Christmas Meal at 1853 Restaurant

This year, the Christmas meal was held at the 1853 Restaurant, which is run by students studying Hospitality and Catering at Manchester College.

There were 74 of us, but the capacity of the restaurant is only 50, so we had two Christmas meals! Fifty of us attended on Thursday and twenty-four attended on Friday.

Guests enjoyed festive dining in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with delicious seasonal dishes carefully prepared to celebrate the occasion.

Everyone was able to relax and savour the experience without feeling rushed, making it a perfect way to mark the holiday season.

More photos can be seen here.

Christmas Cracker Show at The Bridgewater Hall

A HUGE thanks to Auto Trader who sponsored 24 members of Out In The City to attend the Christmas Cracker Show on 12 December.

The Hallé added a little extra sparkle to our festive season with a selection box of our all-time favourite Christmas hits.

We decked the halls and got ready for the most wonderful time of the year with the Hallé’s Christmas Cracker – a festive extravaganza bursting with toe-tapping classics including Merry Christmas Everyone and All I Want for Christmas, the magical sounds of Polar Express, the sultry delights of Santa Baby and nostalgic hits like Last Christmas and Driving Home for Christmas.  

Incredible vocalists Katie Birtill and Oliver Tompsett joined conductor Stephen Bell, the Hallé Workplace Choirs and the Hallé Ancoats Community Choir, alongside the full force of the orchestra for this massive Christmas celebration. 

Thanks again to Auto Trader who treated us to a free concert, a complimentary drink and a “goodie” bag. 

Meet Gay Bob

Do you know the story of Gay Bob?

He was the first out and proud gay doll in the United States, and his boast was that he was anatomically correct!

Gay Bob came out of his closet in 1977 and was available through mail-order catalogues and at select stores in San Francisco and New York City. He was priced at $14.50 and $19.50.

The 13-inch novelty toy was sold to adults and was risqué. He was designed to look like a cross between Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

The trailblazing toy wore a plaid flannel shirt, cuffed blue jeans, cowboy boots with a gold chain around his neck and a leather man bag on one arm. He had one ear pierced.

Gay Bob’s packaging and the advertising were risqué and campy as the box looked like a closet.

The box also suggested tips on “how to enjoy” Gay Bob: taking him to parties (he knew “all the latest dance breaks”) and introducing him to the family because “mom will love talking to” him.

Trailblazing toy

Gay Bob was Harvey Rosenberg’s idea. He was a straight advertising executive who invested $10,000 of his own money to kickstart the project.

“We had something to learn from the gay movement, just like we did from the black civil rights movement and the women’s movement,” Rosenberg said in an interview at the time, “and that is having the courage to stand up and say, ‘I have a right to be what I am.’ ”

But Gay Bob also had a message. Gay Bob’s packaging proudly explained how “coming out of the closet” related to courage, honesty and living authentically.

“Hi boys, girls and grownups, I’m Gay Bob, the world’s first gay doll. I bet you are wondering why I come packed in a closet. ‘Coming out of the closet’ is an expression which means that you admit the truth about yourself and are no longer ashamed of what you are …  A lot of straight people should come out of their ‘straight closets’ and take the risk of being honest about what they are. People who are not ashamed of what they are, are more lovable, kind, and understanding. That is why everyone should come out of “their closet” so the world will be a more loving, understanding, and fulfilling place to live. Gay people are no different than straight people. If everyone came out of their closets, there wouldn’t be so many angry, frustrated, frightened people …  It’s not easy to be honest about what you are; in fact it takes a great deal of courage. But remember, if Gay Bob has the courage to come out of his closet, so can you!”

Gay Bob came out of the closet at a pivotal moment in LGBT+ history. His arrival coincided with LGBT+ people seeing incremental advancement in treatment by society. For example, Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person elected in California, and Dade County Florida passed an equality ordinance for gays and lesbians.

Gay Bob backlash

But some people wished Gay Bob had stayed in the closet.

Singer, orange juice spokesperson, and anti-gay activist Anita Bryant founded Save Our Children, which opposed LGBT+ equality in Florida and elsewhere.

Her campaign was based on the lie that LGBT+ people were targeting and recruiting children.

Bryant’s fear-mongering rhetoric gained traction, and her anti-gay crusade gained widespread media attention and sparked campaigns in other states.

Bryant convinced voters to overturn Dade County’s gay rights ordinance and her vile comments lead to more gay rights protections being repealed across the county.

Protect America’s Children was an offshoot of Bryant’s business and ministries were led by Edward Rowe.

Rowe called the Gay Bob dolls, “evidence of the desperation of the homosexual campaign has reached in its effort to put the homosexual lifestyle, which is a deathstyle, across to the American people. I can only hope that the children who are given these Gay Bob dolls will not comprehend the meaning and intent of the campaign that is behind their manufacture and distribution.”

Gay Bob was initially popular with collectors who snatched up the first production run of 2,000 dolls.

Another 10,000 were produced, but Rosenberg didn’t produce the promised line of Gay Bob’s family and male friends or any of the clothing items that appeared in the clothing catalogue that was included in Gay Bob’s closet box.

Eventually, Gay Bob faded from public view.

Stanley Baxter

Scottish actor and comedian Stanley Baxter died on 11 December 2025 at the age of 99.

He was one of the biggest stars on British television for several decades.

At the age of 94, he confirmed he had always been gay but said he had initially hidden the truth to avoid arrest in the years before decriminalisation.

He said his wife Moira had been fully aware of the situation. The couple, who married in 1951, had lived apart since the 1970s but remained close and never divorced.

Moira died in 1997 and Baxter’s long-term partner, Marcus, died in 2016.

Birthday

Noël Coward (born on 16 December 1899 -1973), English playwright, composer, actor and singer.

He was known for his wit, flamboyance and what Time called “a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise”.

Play the Rainbow Lottery and support Out In The City

The Rainbow Lottery is the UK’s first and only lottery supporting LGBT+ good causes.

Welcome to the Rainbow Lottery, the exciting weekly lottery that raises money for over 200 LGBT+ good causes totally, openly and exclusively.

The hope is to make a difference to good causes so they can carry on their vital work – which helps us all. Play the lottery, support the community – it’s fun, it’s simple and everybody wins!

How the lottery works:

• £1 per ticket – that’s right, unlike many other lotteries, the lottery tickets are only £1 per week.
• For every ticket you play, 80% goes to good causes and prizes.

£25,000 jackpot prize

• Match all 6 numbers and you win the JACKPOT! There are also prizes of £2000, £250, £25 and 3 free tickets for following week.
• Every month there is a Super Draw.

Our ever-popular Christmas blockbuster Super Draw is BACK for another festive season, and we’re looking forward to spreading some holiday cheer!

Your The Rainbow Lottery tickets mean that, this December, you’re in with a chance to win a whopping £3,000 Christmas cash bonus! It’s our biggest prize of the year, and MUST be won this Christmas – and don’t forget, you can top up your tickets, for extra chances to win!

The possibilities for spending your prize are endless: you could hit the January sales in style, spread the joy by giving back to a cause that holds a special place in your heart, plan your dream holiday getaway, treat yourself to the latest tech and gadgets, spruce up your living space for the new year; the choice is yours!

Buy tickets here.