Bee Corner

Bee Corner is an amazing project in a quiet corner of Salford, near Islington Mill. It’s open on Thursday and Sunday afternoons.

The team are so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do to look after the bees and the experience is brilliant.

I think it’s worth repeating Brian Bilston’s poem “The Last Bee”:

The Last Bee

After the last _ee
had _uzzed its last _uzz,

the _irds and the _utterflies
did what they could.

_ut soon the fields lay _are,
few flowers were left,

nature was _roken,
and the planet _ereft.

Poem by _rian _ilston

Devon’s First Transgender Mayor Appointed

A milestone has been marked not just in Devon, but also in the life of 73-year-old Rachel Clarke, who has been elected as the new mayor of Bideford – becoming only the second transgender mayor to have been appointed in the UK.

Back in 2021, Rachel became a Torridge district councillor and later its first transgender councillor but lost her seat in May 2023 having changed parties from Conservative to Independent. She instead became a Bideford town councillor and served as deputy mayor last year.

She was then voted in as mayor by fellow councillors on 16 May, and her inauguration took place on 4 June. By her side during her year as mayor will be her daughter Louise, 44, who has proudly accepted the role of mayoress.

It was only three years ago that Rachel began her transgender journey following the death of her wife. They had been married for almost 50 years.

She recalled: “I became a Torridge district councillor under my male name then after my wife passed away in March 2021, I became me after waiting 70 years. On my 70th birthday I decided that I didn’t know how long I had left on this planet but however long it is I want to enjoy myself.

I was born in 1951, just nine years after World War Two ended. It was only in 1967 that the homosexuality law changed and education about it in schools was non-existent.

I knew from the age of three something wasn’t right. I was stuck in a man’s body but how could I explain that to anyone? Like a lot of men of my generation, I did the whole thing of getting married and had four daughters and now have eight grandchildren.

All throughout my married life Rachel lived inside me but it was hidden from everyone until about 1983. My dad died in 1980 and enough was enough for me. I sat down with my wife and we tried to work out the best way forward.

If you love someone there is no reason to change anything so we didn’t, but when she died and I became a widow I could do what I wanted. I decided if I only have one year or 10 years, I will have lived my life how I always wanted to.”

The physical transformational journey from becoming a man to a woman has seen Rachel have to sell her house to pay for surgery in Istanbul, Turkey, after being told she would have to wait seven years just for a NHS appointment at the West of England Specialist Gender Identity Clinic based at The Laurels in Exeter.

She has also had hormone support from a clinic in London and now happily lives in rented accommodation.

Rachel recalled: “The waiting list meant I would have not been seen until I was 77. I had been waiting 70 years so I was not going to wait another seven.”

Rachel admits she was ‘absolutely terrified’ about how people would react to the new her. Not all of her family and friends have been accepting of her decision, despite some knowing about her feelings for many years, but she says she has no regrets.

She said: “I was quite prominent in our church. Some people who I had known for 30 years faced the walls when I came in even though I had told them 25 years ago. I don’t go to places that cause me mental harm. I have only got to be treated badly once and I will avoid those situations.”

To educate the next generation of young people growing up in North Devon, Rachel has given talks in local schools.

She said: “I talk to them about my journey and explain that we are all just human beings at the end of the day. Our brain tells us what we are and you can’t take your brain out so you have to readjust your body. I have not changed. I might have other bits and pieces but I am just me. We are all normal people. It’s just that our brain is the wrong body; that’s the only difference. Coming out as Rachel was amazing. Bideford is a lovely place. I walk into town and everyone says, ‘hello Rachel’.”

Rachel is well-known among the community due to the diverse jobs she has done over the years. After working in the Merchant Navy as a ‘catering boy’ she later settled in North Devon and became a road sweeper for Torridge Town Council.

Other jobs have included being a manager at KFC, financial advisor for TSB, bus driver and running sign-making companies. Throughout her life, Rachel has gained great enjoyment from various voluntary roles, especially helping the homeless.

It was while voluntary as a night cook at the Freedom Community Alliance centre in Barnstaple back in 2018 that she decided to become a councillor after some young men from Torridge were turned away one cold winter’s evening because they were not from within the catchment area.

When Rachel was elected and became the lead member for housing and homelessness the following year she initiated changes to its policy which meant anyone homeless within North Devon and Torridge were treated the same.

Looking back at her political achievements, she said: “I have done quite a lot of good and I have still got more work to do. I like doing things and seeing results.”

Rachel, who is retired, is hoping that as mayor for Bideford she can help many more people and also inspire others that it is never too late to live the life you have always wanted to lead.

She said: “The role of mayor in my eyes is to serve the community; not for the community to bow to me. You should be approachable and being mayor is an honour. I never, ever dreamed that I would become mayor.

A couple of councillors were a bit wary of a transgender mayor and they kind of said to keep it quiet but now I’m mayor I can be as loud as I like.”

Her chosen charities for the year are Bideford-based Transilience CIC which supports trans young people in North Devon and TTVS which was established as a registered charity over 32 years ago, and since then has provided the lead for volunteering throughout the Torridge area.

Rachel is excited to confirm that she is helping to organise Bideford Pride 2024 on Sunday, 18 August. It will see a big parade go through Victoria Park in Bideford to celebrate diversity.

Rachel’s daughter Louise will be joining her on the day, as well as other events during her term as mayor.

Rachel said: “Louise is enjoying being mayoress already. She is supportive and has been throughout my transition since her mum passed away. It’s never been a secret to anybody so it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

“We are all human beings at the end of the day. What I want to give is just love. My message would be don’t hate because there’s no logic to it; it only harms. If you put effort into loving people you feel good. I never hate anybody; there’s no point.”

LGBTQIA+ guided tour

People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3ER

Tickets: Free / £7.18 / £11.44

Thursday, 13 June – 12.15pm – 1.00pm

Monday, 24 June – 12.15pm – 1.00pm

Sunday, 30 June – 2.00pm – 2.45 pm

Celebrate Pride Month on a guided tour of the museum’s galleries and discover stories of LGBTQIA+ campaigners and activists.

Explore key items from the museum’s LGBTQIA+ collections including badges, t-shirts and banners.

Book on Eventbrite here.

Tameside Pride

The day-time free-to-all event will be held in Cheetham’s Park, Stalybridge from 12.00 noon to 5.00pm.

There will be a market with stalls from a range of LGBT-supportive organisations, a big stage with acts throughout the afternoon, a kids playground, and a food/refreshment area.

Tameside Pride intends to promote LGBT+ equality and inclusion within Tameside bringing the community together to celebrate diversity and put the Proud back in Pride.

Laverne Cox, a star of Orange is the New Black, is one of an estimated 1.5 million Americans who identify as transgender – 10th anniversary of this Time Cover from 9 June 2014.

Pride in Ageing Programme Marks 5^th Anniversary!

Sir Ian McKellen joined LGBT Foundation volunteers for a special afternoon tea to celebrate the five-year anniversary of the Pride in Ageing programme and its ongoing work, which he launched on 5 June 2019.

The initiative celebrates those who are older and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) and undertakes projects with communities in Greater Manchester to address their needs. In the last 12 months, the programme has welcomed 1,100 people to events and activities at LGBT Foundation, and many more older-LGBTQ+ people have accessed LGBT Foundation’s support services in Greater Manchester and national helpline. The programme now commences its fifth year of operation with new projects on physical activity, a recently launched digital skills cafe and creative workshops where different generations of LGBTQ+ communities can learn from each other’s experiences.

At the five-year anniversary event in April, Sir Ian remarked on how pleased he was to see “older volunteers at the heart of LGBT Foundation – as they are the experts”. He wished the volunteers success with their current and upcoming projects for the Pride in Ageing Programme. Sir Ian, 84, reflected at Pride in Ageing’s launch event on his experiences as an older gay man. “I was criminalised, and that leaves a brand on you” Ian said, referencing the legal restrictions on homosexuality in England before 1967. “Older LGBTQ+ people need to be surrounded by friendship, love and respect”.

Lawrie Roberts, Pride in Ageing Manager: “We have an incredibly busy events programme, last month we had a dance workshop, digital café and book club – all for free and which anyone who is older and LGBTQ+ can come along to. The programme’s activity is designed by an advisory panel of volunteers and we are currently taking on new members – if you are LGBTQ+, aged over 50 and from the Greater Manchester area and would like to get involved we would be really interested in talking with you. Please do get in touch with us via the volunteering section of LGBT Foundation’s website or over the phone.”

Pride Top 10

I recorded this show for Sonder Radio

LGBT+ Musicians: 10 Pioneering Artists You Need To Know

Whether standing firm against adversity, fighting for rights and medical research, or providing a platform for those whose voices were hitherto unheard, these pioneering LGBT+ musicians have added their own splash of colour to the walls of popular music’s everlasting corridors.

10: Pete Burns (1959 – 2016)

Dead Or Alive frontman Pete Burns made waves with his heavily androgynous appearance. Despite being one of the UK’s most prominent LGBT+ musicians for most of his life, the singer felt the need to clear up certain misconceptions in his biography, Freak Unique, rather innocently stating, “Am I gay, bi, trans or what? I say forget all that … I’m just Pete.”

Must hear: You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)

9: Christine and The Queens (1988 – )

By 2016, Chris was already considered by Vanity Fair to be the most powerful and influential French person in the world. Since then, she’s released an album (which The Guardian ranked the best album of 2018), appeared in the BBC’s 100 Women series and performed on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Must hear: Tilted

8: Neil Tennant (1954 – )

The Guardian have declared Pet Shop Boys’ West End Girls to be the greatest UK No 1 single of all time. The Pet Shop Boys are Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant who was a leading contributor in obtaining Alan Turing a long-overdue posthumous pardon.

Must hear: West End Girls

7: Michael Stipe (1960 – )

“What was the best kiss of your life?” “Allen Ginsberg.” When Michael Stipe wasn’t smooching veteran Beat poets, he was the enigmatic frontman of REM, perhaps America’s greatest rock band. His mysteriousness, genius and particularly elusive writing style resonated with millions of listeners.

Must hear: Losing My Religion

6: Elton John (1947 – )

Sir Elton is perhaps the most decorated of all LGBT+ musicians. Active since 1967, he has sold over 250 million records, earned a knighthood and raised over £350 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The entertainer has tirelessly advocated for LGBT+ rights around the world.

Must hear: Your Song

5: Klaus Nomi (1944 – 1983)

Klaus Nomi, was a German counter tenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. Nomi was known for his bizarrely visionary theatrical live performances, heavy make-up, unusual costumes, and a highly stylized signature hairdo. His songs were equally unusual, ranging from synthesizer-laden interpretations of classical opera to covers of pop standards.

Must hear: You Don’t Own Me

4: George Michael (1963 – 2016)

Few singers have had a career quite like George Michael. His humble and high-spirited beginnings in Wham! later developed into mature, time-stopping moments on his first two solo albums. His charitable and altruistic exploits included volunteering in soup kitchens and campaigning for LGBT+ rights and AIDS research until his sudden passing in 2016.

Must hear: Faith

3: David Bowie (1947 – 2016)

There was always something about David Bowie that was difficult to put a finger on. Perhaps glam rock’s greatest champion, Bowie’s archetypal androgyny and alter egos metamorphosed from decade to decade, securing his place as one of the most unpredictably brilliant artists of the 20th century.

Must hear: Rebel Rebel

2: Ma Rainey (1886 – 1939)

If there has to be some genesis of the LGBT+ icon, Ma Rainey is likely the best choice. Prove It On Me Blues alone is a startlingly open portrayal of Rainey’s comfort with cross-dressing and her preference for women: “Went out last night with a crowd of my friends / They must’ve been women, ’cause I don’t like no men.” Rainey truly walked the walk and talked the talk, defying social norms and battling stigmas – after all, this was a black woman stating, in 1928, that she’ll “Talk to the gals just like any old man.” She was decades ahead of her time.

Must hear: Prove It On Me Blues

1: Jimmy Somerville (1961 – )

Jimmy Somerville is most famous for forging grandiose floor fillers, from The Communards’ magnificent Don’t Leave Me This Way to the ethereal Smalltown Boy, which appeared on Bronski Beat’s seminal debut album, Age Of Consent.

Must hear: Smalltown Boy

Photographs from the Bridgewater Hall Community Members Day

Monthly Queer Cabaret Night Hosted at The Met!

Thursday, 27 June 8.00pm – LOUD Cabaret, Bury Met, Market Street, Bury BL9 0BW

We’re delighted to announce a queer cabaret night where we will be showcasing the most fabulous of rising stars from across Bury and beyond.

June’s event will feature Lady Bushra, Ben Hodge and Fran ‘n’ Flirter. Your host for the evening will be Mancunian writer, actor and activist Nathaniel J Hall, Artistic Director of Dibby Theatre.

Thursdays have never been so exciting!

Supported by The Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Network and Dibby Theatre

£11 standard / £9 subsidised / £13 supporters (including fees)

Doors open 7.00pm / first act on-stage 8.00pm
 
Book here.

The LGBTQI+ Forum – Bury, will also be hosting an informal social from 7.00pm on the evening of LOUD for any who would like to attend.

This casual event will give you the opportunity to meet some of the acts, find out more about the Forum and make friends with other attendees there to enjoy the cabaret on the night.

If you would like to find out more about the LGBTQI+ Forum ahead of the event, please contact Paul Fairweather at paul.fairweather@buryvcfa.org.uk

The event will take place in the ground floor bar, Malt.

Ben Hodge

Ben Hodge is a comedian, improvisor and presenter originally from Merseyside. His unique outlook as a trans man has seen him earn the title of Liverpool’s Top 30 under 30. He has performed internationally, from Buxton, to Edinburgh, to Seattle.

Ben will be performing Build a Bear, the sequel to his debut show It’s a Boy? Ben has finally worked out what it means to be a man. But now he’s unlocked a whole new world of ‘gay bears’. Join Ben as he humorously broadens his horizons whilst broadening his waist band.

Frank n’ Flirter

Originally from Liverpool, now living in Manchester, Frank n’ Flirter is a trans / non-binary drag performer. When Frank isn’t acting the fool on stage, they’re alluring everyone in the room with their dulcet tones.

Lady Bushra

Shortlisted for a BBC New Comedy Award, the iconic character of Lady Bushra is played by fast growing comedian Amir Dean. Often seen performing his sold out Drag Comedy Cabaret, this drag queen has taken the scene by storm with online videos viewed over 20 million times whereas his live performances have been enjoyed as far as Europe and USA.

Are you LGBT+ over 50 years of age?

Then you are warmly invited to Out In The City’s Pre-Pride Party.

It’s at Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL from 2.00pm to 4.00pm on Thursday, 13 June.

There will be:

·  Entertainment – The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Jennifer on guitar and our own boy band, Wolf.

·  Buffet and

·  Raffle.

The Manchester Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are part of a worldwide order of queer nuns (some queerer than others) who get out into the community to promulgate universal joy and goodness and they haven’t got a bad habit between them!

They might teach us some polari whilst introducing the acts. They might serve joy and love, they might play instruments or just raise an eyebrow or two. Who knows what they will do?

The very talented Jennifer will be playing guitar and singing.

Wolf will be singing pop, soul and possibly “Nelly The Elephant”!

Don’t miss this event … it promises to be special!!

Bury and Stockport Prides
 
There was certainly “Unity in the Community” at Bury Pride. Held on Saturday 1 June – right at the beginning of Pride Month – Bury Pride featured plenty of stalls, a parade and a main stage, where Wolf performed a great set.

The next day Stockport Pride lit up the town celebrating equality, diversity and inclusion within the local LGBT+ community. There were a variety of stalls in Stockport’s Historic Market Place – hosted by charities, community groups and food and drink vendors, ensuring there was something for everyone.

Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” Turns 40 with New Reworked Version of the Gay Classic

For gays of a certain age Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” was a classic.

Released forty years ago on 25 May 1984, the haunting electro-pop track became an instant gay anthem of LGBT+ liberation as it detailed the experience of many people who left their repressive towns for life in the big city. The original video has been watched 106 million times on You Tube.

The video features Bronski Beat lead singer Jimmy Somerville in a semi-autobiographical role as the young man who faces oppression and violence in his small town and eventually finds his tribe as he embarks on a bigger life in London.

To celebrate the iconic single and video’s 40th anniversary, London Records has released a new reworked version by London-based DJ and producer ABSOLUTE (aka Ant McGinley).

The reworked single is set to the original video and is as powerful as ever.

Following the release of the new version, ABSOLUTE shared a poignant message of getting to put his mark on a classic song that is important to so many.

“What a very emotional honour to rework one of the greatest tracks of all time, Smalltown Boy,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “With a message that still resonates deeply with so many LGBTQ+ people today, creating this felt like I’ve been given an opportunity to add a very small piece to its legacy in queer history.”

Jimmy Somerville addressed how the world seems to be going backwards with the current rise of anti-LGBT+ legislation in right-wing areas.

“We seem to be regressing in so many places, in so many countries,” he added. “Rights are being chipped away and there’s a real surge of homophobia, aggression, and discrimination toward anyone who basically wants to be themselves and love who they choose.”

He continued: “And you know what? Piss off! Just get on with your own life and let everyone else live theirs.”

World Health Organisation (WHO) put the Day in World AIDS Day?

World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by James Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland.

The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988, providing a platform to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and honour the lives of those affected by the epidemic.

But why did they pick 1 December?

James Bunn, a former television broadcast journalist from San Francisco, recommended the date of 1 December believing that it would maximise coverage of World AIDS Day, sufficiently long following Thanksgiving and the US elections but before the Christmas holidays, where there is usually a lull in the news cycle.

On 5 June 1981 the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) published an article in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Pneumocystis Pneumonia – Los Angeles. The article described cases of a rare lung infection, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), in five young, previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles. This type of pneumonia, the CDC noted, almost never affects people with uncompromised immune systems.

The following year, The New York Times published an alarming article about the new immune system disorder, which, by that time, had affected 335 people, killing 136 of them. Because the disease appeared to affect mostly homosexual men, officials initially called it gay-related immune deficiency, or GRID.

In September of 1982, the CDC used the term AIDS to describe the disease for the first time. By the end of the year, AIDS cases were also reported in a number of European countries.

Though the CDC discovered all major routes of the disease’s transmission – as well as that female partners of AIDS-positive men could be infected – in 1983, the public considered AIDS a gay disease. It was even called the “gay plague” for many years after.

So, I would argue that World AIDS Day should be commemorated on 5 June, the date when the disease was first discovered. The date of 1 December has no relevance.

Rather than World AIDS Day, the day should also be renamed World HIV Day.

5 Facts about HIV

• Effective and easy to take treatment means that HIV is now a manageable medical condition.

• People who are on effective HIV treatment with an undetectable viral load cannot pass HIV on during sex. Undetectable equals Untransmittable or U=U.

• HIV testing at a clinic is free and confidential. You can also test for HIV at home.

• Knowing your HIV status – whether positive or negative – means you can play a part in ending all new HIV transmissions by 2030.

• The red ribbon is the symbol of HIV awareness. Wear yours every day to show your solidarity with people living with HIV.

Blackpool Showtown

We started at Manchester Piccadilly, with others joining on route, arriving in Blackpool North just before 12.00 noon. It was a short walk to the Layton Rakes – one of four Wetherspoon’s pubs in the town.

After lunch we had the opportunity for a short walk on the prom – Blackpool’s seafront – before our welcome to Showtown.

Showtown opened in March this year and is Blackpool’s brand new all-singing, all-dancing museum, next door but one to Blackpool Tower!

We discovered the stories of the comedians, dancers, acrobats and characters who turned the resort into the home of show business.

The six galleries showcase the very best of the seaside, magic, circus, Illuminations, shows and dance.

There was so much to see – see photos here.

We’re Still Here

This project is the first permanent collection of LGBTQIA+ heritage in Blackpool.

Oral history stories from members of the community have been recorded and are available here.

As part of the We’re Still Here… project photographer Stuart Linden Rhodes has exhibited some of his images from Blackpool’s gay scene in the 90’s outside the Grundy Art Gallery. The exhibition is open until 11 June 2024.

Ghost screenwriter comes out as gay at 81

Bruce Joel Rubin, the screenwriter who penned 1990’s Ghost, has come out publicly as gay.

“I’ve never not been gay,” Rubin, 81, said. “I am fully gay, and I always knew it.”

The Oscar winner recently published a memoir, It’s Only a Movie, in which he revealed his sexuality publicly for the first time. “I don’t like that I was closeted for so long, but it would just have confused people.”

That’s because Rubin has been married to a woman for close to 50 years. His wife, Blanche, has known that he was gay since shortly after they met. Rubin kept his sexuality mostly “internalised” because at the time he didn’t know how to come out.

Rubin says the couple have had what he describes as a “conjoined relationship” with another man. “She had a private moment with him, and so did I,” he says. “Also, I had a few other things along the way, which I didn’t write about because they might embarrass people. It’s not like I’ve been dead to that world. But I’m happily gay.”

Rubin and Blanche remain married, and he says he’s recently come out to their children and grandchildren. “I didn’t want to leave this world with any secrets,” he explained.

But now Rubin is “happily gay” and enjoying embracing his sexuality in his later years. “When you hit your 80s and you think your libido is gone, it comes flying back,” he says. “Male beauty for me is overwhelmingly powerful. Just seeing someone in the supermarket, I feel this explosive joy.”

Barclays Bank Branches

Barclays Bank branches throughout the UK will be showing the campaign films from 2023 (filmed by Punch) across June to mark Pride Month 2024. This should give some great exposure to our amazing stories and the Pride in Ageing programme across June.

Pride on the Range

Whalley Range is an area of Manchester, located about two miles south-west of the city centre. It was formally known as Whalley in the Range, one of Manchester’s first suburbs, built by Manchester banker and businessman Samuel Brooks as “a desirable estate for gentlemen and their families.”

On Saturday 25 May before the annual Pride Parade, there was a placard making workshop with LazyPins Illustration outside the Nip and Tipple. People started to assemble and the parade set off at 12.00 noon ending at the Carlton Club.

Drag queen Banksy introduced vogue dancing, laughter yoga, speeches and cabaret. There was a dog show competition which included prizes for best dressed dog, campest walk and waggiest tail.

There were a number of stalls including the LGBT Foundation, the LGBTQ+ Majority Older Person’s Extra Care Housing Scheme and the Village Bakers.

We enjoyed the fish, chips, halloumi and mushy peas supplied by the Hip Hop Chip Shop. The sun shone and we had a brilliant day.

Pride Season – dates for the diary

Greater Manchester’s Pride Season has started and the following Prides are scheduled during June:

Saturday 1 June – Bury Pride

Sunday 2 June – Stockport Pride

Saturday 15 June – Tameside Pride

Saturday 22 June – Salford Pink Picnic

Sunday 30 June – Pride in Nature with RHS Garden Bridgewater 

Unlike previous years, this year at Bury Pride, you do not require a ‘free ticket’ to attend the event.

Come along on the day with your loved ones, friends, family, colleagues, glitter pens, flags and have a jolly good time!

Wolf will be performing around 2.15pm.

Why Modernist Women Liked Cross-Dressing

“What a relief it is to be freed from chignon, extra braids, fizzes, rats, mice, combs, pins, etc, etc,” declared Dr Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919), feminist, abolitionist, prohibitionist, surgeon, prisoner of war, the only woman to win the Medal of Honour and cross-dresser. Mary Walker wore trousers on the battlefields in the 1860s and, in her later years, the evening dress of the early twentieth century male, including the tall silk hat.

Dr Walker was proud of having been swapped “man for man” with a Confederate soldier at a prisoner exchange. Walker’s writing on the liberation inherent in getting rid of the bondage of Victorian women’s clothing helps set the stage for the women at the forefront of what was once thought of as the exclusively male movement: Modernism.

Women like Gertrude Stein, Romaine Brooks, Frida Kahlo, Radclyffe Hall, Djuna Barnes, Vita Sackville-West and others took it all a step further than “tom boys” of an earlier era, like Willa (“Willie”) Cather, who liked to wear trousers and a Civil War cap when young. The women of the early twentieth century were making a travesty of sexual signs.

Women in masculine garb could be thought of as women warriors, while men in women’s clothing were considered emasculated, ridiculous, or psychopathic. Women cross-dressers could be brooding, Byronic figures but for women the inversion of cross-dressing is not always or even primarily erotic.

The appeal of clearly seductive cross-dressers as Sarah Bernhardt and Marlene Dietrich can function as sex symbols for heterosexual men, reflecting masculine attitudes to eroticise independent women.

Female Modernists tended to be more extreme in playing the male role by using male names eg Charlotte Bronte (Currer Bell), Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot), and Olive Schreiner (Ralph Iron), among others.

A century after the Great War, women in trousers are mainstream, an illustration of the radical becoming conventional.

Manchester Urban Co Housing

If you are interested in cohousing, Manchester Urban Co Housing (MUCH) can be contacted on muchmanchester@gmail.com