30 years on: warnings over homophobic legacy of Section 28

On 24 May 1988 (30 years ago) a law was introduced in England which banned “the promotion of homosexuality”.

Section 28 of the Local Government Act impacted sex education in schools, and also caused confusion over the legality of funding initiatives for lesbian, gay or transgender people.

It was greeted by huge opposition protests across the country – with Manchester seeing around 25,000 people take to the streets.

Tony Openshaw was one of those who spoke at a mass rally opposing Section 28 in Manchester in 1988.

He says the legislation felt “like a backwards step” – with the ostracism he and his partner faced being symptomatic of a homophobic turn in parts of society.

Trips & Adventures – 31 May 2018

Chris and I set off from Piccadilly and Peter joined us at Warrington heading off for Waterloo on the Wirral peninsula.

We dined at The Queen’s Picture House – a Wetherspoon’s pub located in a premises last occupied by Waterloo Furnishing Stores Ltd, the successor to Pearsons department store which opened in 1960. Until 22 August 1959, the premises had been the Queens cinema. Converted to show ‘talkies’ in 1930, the cinema was purpose built in 1913 as the Queens Picture House.

After a very nice meal it was just a short walk to the beach, where we headed towards Blundell Sands and Crosby.

“Another Place” is an art installation on Crosby beach of 100 spectacular cast-iron, life-size figures by Anthony Gormley spread across three kilometres of the foreshore and stretch almost one kilometre out to sea.

The Another Place figures – each one weighing 650 kilos – are made from casts of the artist’s own body standing on the beach, all of them looking out to sea, staring at the horizon in silent expectation.

The weather was fantastic and we had another great day out.

 

Trips & Adventures – 24 May 2018

This week the blog is a bit of a catch-up: After the Wednesday meeting a few of us went to St Ann’s Church to view the “Spirit of Manchester” Flower Festival commemorating the 12 month anniversary since our city was rocked by the tragedy of the Manchester Arena bombing.

The Flower Festival sends a message to the victims’ families and those affected by the bombing, that we are thinking of them and we still care, and says ‘Thank You’ to all Mancunians for the way we came together in a defiant show of unity, solidarity, community and hope.

The floral displays in and outside the church look amazing. and form a great tribute.

On Thursday, 24 May we travelled to Media City and had lunch in the Food Hall at the Lowry Outlet – between us we sampled Deli-Fresh, Harry Ramsden’s and Tandoori Delights!

We then made our way to the Imperial War Museum, the first building in the UK designed by the internationally acclaimed architect, Daniel Libeskind. He was the second child of Polish Jewish parents who had survived the Holocaust.

Libeskind wanted the building to be a symbol of the effects of war, so he came up with the concept of a globe shattered into three pieces – and though it’s been put back together,  it will never be the same again. That’s why IWM North is made up of the Earth Shard, Water Shard and the Air Shard – a piece of the building representing conflict on land, sea and in the air. To be truthful, the exhibitions and the building itself make you feel the unsettling nature of war and can be a bit depressing.

Later that evening members of the group appeared on television, following the filming previously by Granada Reports, tying in with the 30th anniversary of the enactment of the Local Government Act 1986 which featured the controversial clause Section 28 banning local authorities from promoting homosexuality or educating people about its acceptability.

There was also an event at the Radisson Blu Hotel – Temporary Monument, Permanent Protest – the opening of an exhibition in response to the 30th anniversary of the Section 28 protests in Manchester, together with poetry performances and guest speakers.

 

Trips & Adventures – 17 May 2018

We met at Piccadilly at noon and headed towards Ancoats, stopping off at the Tib Street Tavern for lunch. Tib Street is named after the River Tib, a minor tributary of the River Medlock, and runs entirely beneath Manchester City Centre. A notion is that the river was given its name by homesick Roman soldiers after the River Tiber but with the word shortened to reflect the size difference between the two rivers.

Tib Street used to be known for pet shops and sex shops but is now part of the trendy Northern Quarter. The sex shops remain but there are now trendy bars as well.

We made our way to Ancoats stopping at Anita Street (apparently the most photographed street in Manchester) where we took some photographs and then onto the canals at New Islington. The area was so calm and peaceful you would not know you were in a city centre.

The only noise was the swan claiming its territory by flapping at the Canadian geese.

We had a relaxing coffee / tea in the Royal Mill cafe. The Royal Mill was constructed in 1912. It was originally called New Old Mill but was renamed following a royal visit by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1942.

On heading home we spotted this image on the side of a building. It was created by a South African artist and shows two men kissing!

 

Trips & Adventures – 10 May 2018

This is the trip we had all been anticipating – to see the China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition at the World Museum in Liverpool. An interesting fact is that the Terracotta Warriors are made out of terracotta.

Ten members of the group travelled to Liverpool but as our museum booking was not until 1.30pm we had refreshments in the cafe at St George’s Hall – a Grade I listed building in the Neoclassical style. In January 2008 when Liverpool started its tenure as European Capital of Culture, the Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr played on the roof of St George’s Hall.

This was followed by lunch in an alcove at the Lime Street branch of Wetherspoon’s, before making our way to the museum.

For more than 2,000 years, an underground army of life-size terracotta warriors guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, until a chance discovery in 1974 unlocked the secrets of a vanished empire. This was a once in a life time experience.

This landmark exhibition told the story of the Han Dynasty’s golden age through exquisite objects from royal burial sites, and will remain in our memories as a really special event.

I wonder which one is the oldest exhibit?