We invited Alan to join us for our regular monthly radio show – Out On The Radio. The show goes out live on 96.9fm, on the first Tuesday each month from 2.00pm to 3.00pm, but you can listen here.

In September we had a bit of a chat and played the following songs:

Petula Clark – Downtown (our theme tune)

Pet Shop Boys – I Wouldn’t Normally Do This Kind of Thing

Shirley Bassey – As Long As He Needs Me

Ras Teo – Lumumba

Mamas and the Papas – Got a Feelin’

Matchmaker, Matchmaker from the film Fiddler on the Roof

Sara Lugo – Rise

Jack White and his Collegians – Stop! You’re Breaking My Heart

Alfie Boe – The Impossible Dream

Mr Herbert Quain – Back To The Cotton Club

First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining

The Thorns – Think It Over

A Great Big World – Everyone is Gay

Bess Rogers – Everyone is Gay (Except For Me)

Dominique Fils-Aimé – Strange Fruit.

Hope you enjoy.

Barbara Hammer’s endless influence

The lesbian filmmaker made a radical difference by making work that reflected her real life. A new documentary is cementing her legacy.

Barbara Forever opens with a black screen and Barbara Hammer’s voice. Hammer, an experimental filmmaker who passed away on 16 March 2019, is the documentary’s subject, and she’s testing out a microphone. It’s as if she’s speaking to the microphone, having a conversation with it to see if it is succeeding in capturing her voice to digital file and by extension to the archive. A few minutes into the film, Barbara in voiceover quips: “I want to have something to give, and I want to exist, forever.”

Hammer challenged artistic and cinematic norms and depicted what she had never seen before: lesbians in love, lesbians in strife, lesbians living. Performance, biography and archival footage played key parts in her work to create her story and the histories of other women.

Director Brydie O’Connor’s documentary was made following the success of her 2022 short Love, Barbara, also on Hammer, and follows Hammer’s artistic approach. Hammer becomes known to O’Connor, then to us, through an exploration of her work (over 80 films!) and her archive, a “life lived through film.”

Previous documentaries such as 2018’s Dykes, Camera, Action! and 2019’s Queer Genius situate Hammer in the lineage of LGBT+ cinema, but Barbara, Forever is Hammer’s alone. It is a multivalent, generous and love-laden perspective on a central figure in LGBT+ cinema, and if you are anywhere on the LGBT+ spectrum or in any way creative, this film will be very important for you.

Hammer started making films in earnest shortly after coming out as a lesbian at 27, when she describes herself as “being born”. The revelations came hand in hand: in touching a woman’s body erotically and looking through the camera lens, Barbara discovered a new world and way to live. The result was a beautiful weaving of the two, with a presence and feel of touch in the cinematic image. She also created something entirely unique at the time: lesbian erotica by lesbians, which she called “a lesbian history in a world where we’re invisible.”

Her body and her intimate relationships were central to her practice. In a feverish year and a half at the beginning of her career, she cranked out 13 films, many of them inspired by the people in her life. 

After moving to New York in the 1980s, Hammer talks in the documentary about how she was encouraged to choose between being a lesbian filmmaker or an experimental filmmaker. She was told a lesbian audience was interested in seeing realistic depictions of their community, while an experimental audience was not very interested in seeing lesbian sensuality. Her work is an important and unique amalgamation of both. Forsaking one for the other would have diminished her artistic importance while shrinking possibilities for LGBT+ cinema to mere essentialism.

History is at the forefront of Hammer’s works. “Who makes history and who is left out?” is a question repeated throughout her corpus. During a conference at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival for Nitrate Kisses, Hammer’s first feature-length film, director Todd Haynes discussed Hammer’s project as “rewriting history as something that is … provisional.” By “provisional,” he meant mutable, non-fixed and non-linear. 

Hammer’s films embraced non-linearity because they were, by her description, lesbian films, and therefore required a new shape and language. Hammer’s 2000 film History Lessons does just this. The film manipulates archival footage into a history of lesbians, aided by re-enactments and shots of Hammer rifling through film canisters. To be able to generate a history in the face of its erasure or inexistence is a powerful creative tool for LGBT+ artists. It also calls into question the validity of existing histories, as well as a desire to revise, rethink and retell the past for a brighter future.

Hammer worked with younger artists later in life to produce multi-generational collaborations, and gave away her B-roll footage so that her work could live on through the works of others. Gaining an understanding of one’s artistic lineage is a sublime perspective shift. No work is created in a vacuum, and all ideas are generated from the ideas of others. To better carry that role out, knowing who comes before you is essential. Barbara, Forever is a great depiction of an artist creating her own path and language in reaction to limitations. It’s essential viewing for any LGBT+ person doing basically anything in the world right now.

The end sequence of the documentary is a series of clips of Barbara getting up after filming herself in a scene to reach around the camera to hit the record button. There is a specificity to this action that is immediately understood by anyone making videos or films and using themselves as performers or subjects and creates an instant connection. It is in this series of movements that the importance of this documentary and Hammer’s work became clear: Hammer always stayed true to who and what her artistic vision was, regardless of any dissuasion around her.

Dolly Parton paid for the gender-affirming care of her “good friend” and chauffeur of 30 years

Just when you thought Dolly Parton couldn’t be any more sainted, her death at the age of 80 resulted in a story surfacing that makes it so.

One of the most important staffers among Parton’s close circle of supporters was a transgender man.

Jason Pirro met Parton in the 1980s when he found himself chauffeuring the singer on a trip to Los Angeles. His clients already included Farah Fawcett, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Bewitched’s Elizabeth Montgomery.

The driver, who at 300 pounds cut a memorable figure in his chauffeur’s tuxedo uniform, would work with Parton for over 30 years in that role and others, and become someone the singer described as her “good friend.”

Pirro first came to public notice in 1990, when the Star tabloid outed him on a cover.

Splashed across a photo of Parton in signature rhinestones – and looking uncharacteristically fraught – the headline blared “Sex change shocker in Dolly’s limo” and “Her driver is a man who used to be a woman.”

The story inside belied the sensational windup.

“Dolly Parton is being chauffeured around Hollywood by a 300-lb transsexual who has had an operation to change from a woman into a man,” the not-so “shocking” story starts. “The country queen shares 44-year-old Jason Pirro’s ‘secret’ and has promised to help the obese, tuxedo-outfitted driver attain his goal to become a movie director.”

“Dolly has been good to me,” Pirro told the Star in an exclusive interview. ‘I’m not real comfortable talking about myself. Dolly knows all about me and is a very nice lady.’”

Dolly Parton’s editor for her autobiography revealed the singer would go on to pay for Pirro’s gender-affirming care.

The Star story may or may not be the source of a memorable line from the singer, affirming her longtime allyship with the trans and LGBT+ community.

“Dolly has said that there’s nothing wrong with transexuals,” the Star story quoted the singer.

“‘If I were a man, I’d be a drag queen,’ she admits. ‘I enjoy being a trashy dresser and I love gaudy things. I love to play with hair and makeup,’” the story reported.

Other facts about Pirro revealed in the Star exposé: he studied theatre as a “coed” at Syracuse University but left after eight years without graduating; he had a “genius” IQ of 144; he taught Transcendental Meditation.

Dolly likely had a lot of questions on the pair’s rides between studios. She shared, “All I know about sex-change operations I’ve learned from my good friend Jason.”

While Pirro’s name surfaced again a few times over the years – Parton thanked him in liner notes for her 2016 album Pure & Simple for his “time, love, and attention to details,” and he contributed to her 2023 book Behind the Seams about her extravagant wardrobe – their relationship was out of the spotlight of Parton’s very public career, even as she championed for his rights.

“Well, what I always say, ‘I just want everybody to be treated good,’” she told the Hollywood Reporter in 2023, as Tennessee was enacting discriminatory legislation against the trans community.

“I try not to get into the politics of everything. I try to get into the human element of it. I have some of everybody in my own immediate family and in my circle of employees. I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts – all within my own family. I know and love them all, and I do not judge,” Parton said.

In that same interview, likely with Pirro in mind, Parton declared, “I think everybody should be treated with respect. I hope that everybody gets a chance to be who and what they are.”

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.

Since the Rainbow Lottery began (5 years ago) Out In The City has received over £9,000. This money has been used to subsidise trips and events. We have also won £4,625 between us in cash prizes.

How the lottery works:

• £1 per ticket (payable at £5 monthly).

• 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 the following week. Every month there is a Super Draw with a special prize for one lucky winner.

If you don’t have tickets, you can buy here. Please help us to carry on our good work.

River Cruise

Thirty eight of us travelled to Salford Quays for a “City River Tour” on the Princess Katherine. It was almost an exclusive private hire event, although a few members of the public also boarded!

Earlier we dined in Pizza Express where we enjoyed the “meal deal” – a pizza and a drink for £10.

The cruise leaves on the hour from the Millenium Footbridge along Manchester’s historic Ship Canal and River Irwell. We discovered the industrial heartland of Salford and Manchester from a different perspective.

The commentary brought to life the tales behind the canal, its emblematic structures, and the landmarks that have moulded the city’s skyline.

The journey offered a refreshing and unforgettable view of Manchester, blending past and present in a truly immersive experience.

More photos can be seen here.

First same sex marriage

Richard John Baker (Jack) and James Michael McConnell are the first same-sex couple known to have obtained a marriage licence and a marriage certificate. The wedding ceremony took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on 3 September 1971, yet remained unrecorded and unrecognised by both state and federal governmental entities.

The marriages’ validity was affirmed on 18 September 2018, by a judge in Blue Earth County, who declared “The [1971] marriage … to be in all respects valid” and ordered the Clerk of Court to record it. Since the marriage had never been declared nullified, it was ruled to have been valid for its entire duration.

The two men met in the 1960s and fell in love. Then Michael told Jack he wanted something more than a private promise. He wanted marriage. Their first attempt to get a marriage license was denied.

Eventually, they found a legal path that allowed them to marry. Their ceremony was performed by a Methodist minister, and friends made them a wedding cake with two grooms.

Fifty-five years later, they are still together. Two grooms. Still side by side.

New York’s first public gay marriage ceremony

The ceremony on 25 November 1968 was officiated by asexual Japanese pop artist Yayoi Kusama (“The High Priestess of Polka Dots”) at the Church of Self-Obliteration. For the ceremony, she designed a two-person “orgy” wedding gown meant to be worn by the grooms, and she used a phone book instead of a Bible.

The wedding occurred at a time when homosexuality was still illegal, diagnosed as a mental illness, and punishable by jail time, firing, loss of parental rights, and public shaming in newspapers. During the event, Kusama said it wasn’t gay people who were abnormal, but society’s reaction to them that made them seem so.

“The purpose of this marriage is to bring out into the open what has hitherto been concealed,” she said during the ceremony. “Love can now be free, but to make it completely free, it must be liberated from all sexual frustrations imposed by society. Homosexuality is a normal physical and psychological reaction, neither to be extolled or decried.”

The event, entitled “Homosexual Marriage,” shows the two slender white grooms lying naked together, their bodies covered in painted polka dots (which Kusama incorporated into many of her works throughout her lifetime), in a room filled with objects resembling bulbous, polka-dotted vegetables.

Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act

Although same-sex couples could enter into Civil Partnerships (since 2006), they were not permitted to marry. This Act gave same-sex couples the opportunity to get married just like any other couple. Same-sex couples already in a Civil Partnership could also now convert this to a marriage.

It came into effect in 2014. The first same-sex marriages took place in England and Wales on 29 March 2014.

Manchester Open 2026

The biggest celebration of Greater Manchester’s creative talent, Manchester Open, returned this summer.

Out In The City visited on Thursday 3 September at 2.00pm.

We explored artwork from hundreds of participants – including professional artists and those exhibiting art for the first time – from all across Greater Manchester.

From budding artists as young as four years old up to seasoned creatives in their eighties, this exhibition is a joyous celebration of art from all ages.

Expert judges have praised the “breadth, boldness and depth” of this year’s submissions – which range from painting and photography to sculpture, textiles, ceramics and digital art.

More photos can be seen here.

LGBT Foundation’s Sapphic Showcase returns on 29 October

Join LGBT Foundation for a spellbinding Halloween edition of Sapphic Showcase, celebrating the talent, creativity and stories of our sapphic community.

Expect an evening of live music, poetry, drag, performance and creativity, alongside plenty of opportunities to connect with old friends, meet new people and celebrate sapphic joy in all its forms.

The Eventbrite link to get your free tickets is here.

They are also looking for performers – if you are interested please fill in the Application Form here.

The Sapphic Showcase is all female (LBT) performers but men can be in the audience.

Former British-Israel Hamas hostage in marriage ceremony in Tel Aviv

Former British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari and her partner Danielle Amit have held a marriage ceremony held in Tel Aviv.

The couple, who met after Damari’s release in 2025, have been engaged since January 2026.

The event was attended by several of Damari’s fellow former hostages, including Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, Liri Albag, Danielle Gilboa, Omer Shem Tov, Keith and Aviva Siegal, and Gali and Ziv Berma.

Damari was held in Hamas captivity for more that 15 months after she was kidnapped from her home in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.

She was shot in the leg and hand in the attack, losing two of her fingers.

In a statement, a representative described the event as “a joyful new chapter for Emily”.

The women celebrated with an intimate dinner for family and friends, before exchanging vows beneath the chuppah (traditional Jewish wedding canopy) in bespoke looks by Israeli fashion designer Oria Azran.

Damari’s mother Mandy spoke about the 471 days her daughter was held in captivity, and told the couple that their nuptials “means more to me than just a wedding”.

“During those endless days and nights, there were moments when the thought of standing here tonight, seeing my daughter alive, safe, happy, and standing beside the person she loves, would have been impossible to imagine,” she said.

She went on: “Tonight, I don’t want to look back at the 471 days. I want to look forward to all the days ahead”.

Same-sex wedding ceremonies are permitted in Israel, although they are not legally recognised as marriages by the state.

Damari was taken hostage on 7 October 2023, abducted from a safe room in her home alongside twins Gali and Ziv Berman.

She was one of three hostages released some 15 months later as part of a temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage by Hamas in the 7 October attack. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 73,430 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Lesbian History Day

This new observance day will honour the rich tapestry of our lesbian ancestors.

If you look in many mainstream history books, lesbians have been erased, ignored, persecuted, killed and forgotten. But the reality is starkly different. Lesbians were writing poems in Ancient Greece. They were breaking into convents to sneak out their lovers. They were building homes, creating their own wedding ceremonies and collecting lockets of lovers’ pubes (Anne Lister, ever the icon) long before Pride marches and marriage equality were around. They were selling out shows in the Harlem Renaissance, fighting for civil rights and pioneering in science, business and technology. Lesbian history is so expansive that it could fill entire curriculums. 

And now, this legacy will be celebrated every single year with the creation of Lesbian History Day. Celebrated on 6 September, this new annual observance will bring together communities around the world to honour this rich and diverse history. Founded by DIVA Charitable Trust trustee Marie-Helene Tyack, Lesbian History Day is a reminder that lesbians have, and always will be, here. 

Speaking about Lesbian History Day, Marie-Helene said: “It’s about acknowledging the courage and resilience of those who paved the way for future generations. It’s a day to celebrate our community’s strength  and diversity, and to inspire continued progress and acceptance.” 

To celebrate this new observance day, workshops, panel discussions and community gatherings will be held globally. At the heart of Lesbian History Day is honouring the individuals who have shaped lesbian culture today, who fought for lesbian rights and who were trailblazers. 

 “Our history is a testament to the power of love, resilience, and community. By celebrating it, we honour those who came before us and inspire those who will come after,” Marie-Helene added. 

Manchester Village Pride

Thanks to the organisers for making Manchester Village Pride a fantastic success. But, let’s never forget that Pride is a Protest, A Protest Party, A Party with a Purpose.

The Candlelit Vigil is the emotional heart of Manchester Village Pride, bringing the celebrations to a close with a powerful moment of reflection and unity.

Held in the historic surroundings of Sackville Gardens, home to the Alan Turing Memorial, the National Transgender Memorial, and the Beacon of Hope, the Vigil offers a space for the community to come together as the city’s festivities draw to an end. As hundreds of candles illuminate the gardens, the atmosphere shifts from celebration to remembrance, creating a moving tribute to those we have lost, supporting those living with or affected by HIV, and recognising the ongoing discrimination and persecution faced by LGBT+ people across the globe.

The Vigil honours the resilience of LGBT+ communities and recognises the ongoing challenges faced by many people living with HIV, both in the UK and around the world. Through the simple act of gathering in candlelight, attendees stand together in solidarity, raising awareness, challenging stigma and reaffirming a shared commitment to equality, compassion and inclusion.

Curated by George House Trust, a leading HIV support, advice, and advocacy charity serving Greater Manchester since 1985, the Candlelit Vigil remains a powerful symbol of remembrance, hope and collective strength. Their dedication to supporting people living with HIV helps ensure this meaningful event continues to educate, inspire and unite communities year after year.

Watch the Vigil here:

Nazi Persecution of Lesbians has been Overlooked

Samuel Clowes Huneke is an associate professor of history at George Mason University, specialising in Europe. He is perfectly positioned to explore the parallels between the historical mechanisms of fascism and our contemporary times, which often seems to be heading in a dangerous direction for LGBT+ communities.

Huneke’s latest book, I Will Not Abandon You: Queer Women in Nazi Germany, began with an accidental discovery. While conducting research on gay activism in East and West Germany in the Berlin regional archives in 2015, he stumbled upon four files detailing the lives of women turned over to the Nazis for their sexuality.

These documents challenged the historical misconception that the Third Reich was indifferent to lesbians. What began as a single journal article evolved into a decade-long quest through archives across Germany, uncovering a complex spectrum of persecution and bold resistance.

Scholars had prioritised the archival trails of gay men, tens of thousands of whom perished in concentration camps. Huneke confronted gaps in how history had been told. By meticulously piecing together fragmented records, Huneke created a moving and tragic portrait of lesbian women who navigated the terrors of fascism with resilience.

He found more and more cases of both persecution and resistance to Nazi rule by lesbians. There are more archival sources dealing with the experiences of homosexual men, of men who sexually and romantically desired other men. This, in turn, has to do with the misogyny of historical figures themselves. When crafting laws against homosexuality or sodomy, jurists often focused on men. This had to do with perceptions that women didn’t have independent sex drives, that women couldn’t have sex with each other without a man, and with the view that female homosexuality was fundamentally less socially destabilising than male homosexuality.

Thus, we have a situation in which the misogyny of these historical figures led them to draft fewer laws targeting female homoeroticism, which, in turn, led to fewer court cases against and police records of lesbian life, and thus ultimately fewer archival records documenting the existence and experiences of lesbian women. This relative dearth, compounded by many historians’ disregard, produced the imbalanced scholarship we know today.

We tend to look back at our LGBT+ ancestors as victims, but it is a more complicated picture. Even if you are a victim of social or political violence, you experience life in a multitude of different ways. The persecution you experience doesn’t negate your ability to make consequential decisions about your life and the lives of people around you. Wherever governments try to suppress genders and sexualities, it inevitably leads to new, unexpected expressions of desire.

I Will Not Abandon You brings to life the unrelenting defiance of lesbian women in fascist Germany. Waltraud Hock, a young lesbian woman was a compelling figure. She was a young woman of colour, a mother, separated from her husband. She wound up being sent to the concentration camp Ravensbrück as a so-called “asocial,” which was a grab bag category of persecution used to sweep up sex workers, Afro-Germans, LGBT+ people, the so-called “workshy,” and many others besides.

Her case explains in heartbreaking detail how the Nazi system of persecution functioned – how a young woman, who we would see as perfectly ordinary, wound up being whisked away into the concentration camps under the label of asociality.

Re/Assemble

This film was made by David Martin as part of PROTEST! – Documenting Dissent and was first shown at the SCENE Festival in Manchester on 26 August 2026.

State of Ageing Spotlight

The Centre for Ageing Better have released their State of Ageing Spotlight.

This State of Ageing Spotlight addresses the invisibility of older LGBTQ+ people in data and discussions about our ageing population.

The number and percentage of older LGB+ people in England has increased significantly over the last ten years, and numbers of older LGBTQ+ people are set to increase further.

Many older LGBTQ+ people have played a vital role in social justice movements, yet they often remain overlooked in policy and practice as they age.

This spotlight examines the inequalities they can face in later life – across housing, work, finances, health, care and community connections – indicates how these experiences are shaped by decades of discrimination, and sets out recommendations for policy and practice.

Download State of Ageing Spotlight: Older LGBTQ+ people here.

Eric vs The Beaver – World Premiere – Free

Wednesday, 16 September – 7.30pm – 9.30pm (including an interval), and

Friday, 18 September – 7.30pm – 9.30pm (including an interval)

53two, Arch 19, Watson Street, Manchester M3 4LP

We have tickets for this new play (a world premiere) – a farce.

When Eric loses his job (again), he’s thrilled when he lands on the perfect new role for himself – one that makes use of his skills and will be sure to leave him with many satisfied customers. He’ll be a sex worker!

Less thrilled, however, is his boyfriend …

What happens when two men with above-average anxiety levels try to mould themselves to fit the image of the ‘enlightened’ queer couple able to open their relationship with joy, pride and not an ounce of jealousy.

If interested, please contact us here, and indicate which date.

Queer Up North 🏳️‍🌈 Road to launch

The countdown is on! As we near the launch of the Queer Up North digital archive, join us for a programme of talks, performances, and screenings celebrating Queer Up North past, present, and future. Explore the full series below: 

Generations of Love – Book here / Causing Trouble – Book here

Queered Up Now – Book here / Launch Party – Book here

PROTEST! – Unfinished Business – Friday, 25 September – 1.00pm – 4.30pm – People’s History Museum – FREE!

Section 28 may be gone but its story isn’t finished.

Section 28 was repealed. But legislation doesn’t simply disappear. Its traces remain in institutions, in bodies, in memories, in language, in culture, in education, in activism, and in the ways LGBTQIA+ communities continue to organise, resist and make space. What did it change? What did it leave behind? And what does its legacy mean for LGBTQIA+ communities now? 

As the final event in IAP:MCR’s PROTEST! project, Unfinished Business will bring together artists, activists, academics, creative practitioners, makers, thinkers, writers and others to congregate, share ideas, ask questions, debate and explore the legacies of Section 28, and to ask what its unfinished business might be today.

The event is free, but booking is recommended tickets obtainable here.

Further information and a call out for contributions can be found here.

Sherpa-K: Assemble with Pride – Friday, 25 September – 7.30pm – 9.30pm – People’s History Museum – half price ticket offer

Celebrate the end of the project in the historic Engine Hall – with music provided by Sherpa-K.

A vibrant musical evening with Manchester-based queer five-piece multi-instrumentalist art-folk combo.  Join the band for a performance of original songs and much-loved favourites about pride, protest and love.

Throughout the evening:

• Explore Re/Assemble, our exhibition responding to the legacy of Section 28 through themes of protest, resilience, and queer creativity.
• Discover banners on display from PHM’s collection that capture moments of protest, solidarity, and community in the ongoing fight for LGBTQIA+ equality in Gallery Two.

Special Offer: Tickets half price if you quote PROJECT50 when booking your tickets here.