Lady Lever Art Gallery

Out In The City members took the train to Port Sunlight. It’s quite an easy journey changing at Liverpool Lime Street.

Port Sunlight village is delightful and we had a lovely meal in The Bridge Inn. The food was terrific and great value. After dining we walked to the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

William Hesketh Lever was born in Bolton, the son of a wholesale grocer. He left school at 16 to join the family firm, which he expanded and transformed. In 1884 he decided to focus on just one product – household soap – primarily because of its potential for marketing in pre-wrapped bars under a brand name. Previously soap had to be cut to order from a single large block.

Two years later he began to manufacture soap himself and set up the firm of Lever Brothers with his brother. He initially produced his soap in an existing factory but by 1888 had outgrown the site and moved to a purpose built and much larger building on the Wirral.

The success of his company made Lever very rich. By 1912 in addition to his income, he had personal assets valued at nearly three million pounds. Within a few years the interests of his company Lever Brothers stretched from the United Kingdom to West Africa, the Pacific and the United States. Lever visited his business empire across the globe and collected works of art and everyday items during his travels. The company grew until Lever was employing 85,000 workers around the world in 1925.

There is some discussion about whether Lever exploited people in Africa, but he was certainly a philanthropist and made a large contribution to the lives of ordinary people in the UK. He built a village to house his employees and named it Port Sunlight after his most successful brand of soap. Port Sunlight was to provide his workforce with good housing. He campaigned for better welfare and a shorter working day, and supported building, education and medical projects.

He also founded the Lady Lever Art Gallery, which houses one of the UK’s finest collections of fine and decorative art.

Lord Leverhulme died at 73 of pneumonia at his home in Hampstead on 7 May 1925. His funeral was attended by 30,000 people.

More photos can be seen here.

Does the Titanic have a secret gay history? All signs point to yes

On Saturday 15 April it will be 111 years since the sinking of the Titanic. Over 1500 people perished when the ‘unsinkable’ ship sank in the Mid-Atlantic ocean, over two hours after striking an iceberg. The ship had only entered service four days prior and was expected to complete its maiden voyage to New York by 17 April.

The story of Titanic has been retold many times, most notably through the 1997 Blockbuster triggering a pop culture phenomena of iconic scenes, quotes and characters. The tragic love story of Jack and Rose enchanted the imagination of so many.

We all know what happened after Jack drew Rose, but it turns out there may have been a real-life couple on board the Titanic whose story is even more intriguing than James Cameron’s Oscar-winning tale of doomed love.

While it’s not 100% confirmed, all signs point to the likelihood that prominent military veterans Archibald Butt (above, left) and Francis Davis Millet (above, right), who both died when the Titanic sank in 1912, were much more than just friends.

The maybe-probably gay couple has been a source of fascination for years. Historian Richard Davenport-Hines wrote in 2012 that “the enduring partnership of Butt and Millet was an early case of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’” and a National Park Service website about a fountain built in their honour notes that “many “have asserted that Butt and Millet were involved in a romantic relationship.”

Millet was estranged from his wife and love letters show he had a previous relationship with writer Charles Warren Stoddard. Butt never married, and the two shared a mansion in Washington, DC, where they regularly threw parties. President William Howard Taft, who happened to be Butt’s boss, was a frequent guest.

Millet and Butt were booked in separate rooms on the Titanic, but given that they’d have to keep their love a secret to maintain their status and freedom, this is hardly surprising. The Post notes that the men were vacationing together in Europe before boarding the ship, and it honestly sounds quite romantic.

Millet served as a medical assistant in the Civil War before studying art at Harvard. He travelled the world as a reporter, and received high praise for murals he painted in Belgium. He also served as vice chair of the US Commission on Fine Arts.

Butt also worked as a reporter for some time, but joined the military at age 34 and quickly ascended the ranks. President Theodore Roosevelt called him back to Washington in 1908 to serve as an adviser. Taft kept him on when he assumed office, and the two men grew close.

Taft was devastated at the loss of Butt, taking it as if his son had died. After the tragedy, plans were formed to honour the men with a White House fountain.

The official reason was that the two were the only representatives of the federal government on board the ship, but we like to think it’s an enduring monument of same-sex love.

It’s located near the E Street entrance on the southwest side of the White House.

Collage workshops

A small number of us attended The Big Fandango in Bury to make collage pictures in preparation for Bury Pride:

Does anyone know where this is from? An intriguing bit of history, but I have no context or information.

LGBT+ Community In Ukraine: One Year Into The War

It has been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine. Despite resulting in displacement and violence, Ukraine’s LGBT+ community has found ways to strengthen its fight for political and civil rights.

In the last year, Ukraine’s society has shifted its perspective on the LGBT+ community. While LGBT+ activists worked to resist the imposition of conservative Russian attitudes, LGBT+ communities advanced their rights in multiple ways. In May of 2022, “Nash Svit,” a Ukrainian LGBT+ organisation, conducted a study finding that 64% of Ukrainians support providing equal rights to the LGBT+ community.

This study indicates a considerable jump, as this percentage also includes those who previously had negative views towards this community. Another study, showcased by the social media group “LGBTIQ Military,” stated that there are more self-identified LGBT+ members in the armed forces of Ukraine than ever before as they have gained more acceptance among the armed forces. In addition, new legislation has been introduced, such as partnership rights for same-sex couples and the prohibition against anti-LGBT+ hate speech. 

Anastasia Adriivna, a school teacher, was inspired by opposite-sex couples rushing to get married before joining the fight to launch her campaign for same-sex marriage. Her petition gained over 25,000 signatures, and under Ukrainian law, the president must formally respond to any petition with this many signatures. However, the president argued that this would require a constitutional change which was impossible due to current martial law. Therefore, despite the public support of the LGBT+ community advancing, there is still work to be done to make these rights recognised under the law. 

This setback is no surprise, as the LGBT+ community has demonstrated their commitment to pushing for democracy, despite the pushback they have received in the last decade. However, it is also clear that they have seen a significant jump in public support within the previous year. 

One of the many characteristics of a nation going to war is that its social norms shift and the conventional expectations of the government and public lessen. This is the same for Ukraine. Often, marginalised communities are mobilised by their nation during a time of chaos. For some groups, this dramatic change provides a gain, while others return to their marginalised status afterward.

An example is Britain granting women the right to vote after World War I. On the contrary, African American troops returned from both wars to continue facing racial discrimination. Therefore, some times of chaos may bring many benefits, such as the increased support of the LGBT+ community in Ukraine; however, there is still the need to expand that support into permanent laws. 

The LGBT+ community in Ukraine is gaining support, as the efforts of many activists have made tremendous progress in the past decade. However, although accepting the LGBT+ community by the Ukraine public is a huge step, it does not guarantee the community full access to resources and protection against all forms of hate and discrimination. 

Therefore, it is vital to utilise this time and increased support to push on the Ukraine government and lawmakers. Even though the LGBT+ community is on a great wave, it is essential to know that the goal isn’t just to gain public approval but to make legal changes that protect the entire spectrum of the LGBT+ community permanently.

I Just Want To Be Me

A new report on trans and gender diverse communities’ access to and experiences of palliative and end of life care has been produced by Hospice UK – I Just Want To Be Me.

Dr Ellie Kane, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, writes in the foreword: “Caring for people with life-limiting illness is one of the greatest privileges in healthcare.

We see people at their most vulnerable and fragile as we try to listen and hear their story, help them live freely, and ultimately care for them with dignity and compassion as they die. There are few things as powerful when it’s done well. There are few things that can cause as much harm when it’s not.

People who are trans and gender diverse deserve that support as much as anyone else. We have a legal duty to improve care both from the Health and Care Act 2022 and the Equality Act 2010 but we also have a moral duty to improve this simply because it’s the right thing to do.

I’m often asked why we should focus on such a small group of people when healthcare is stretched in so many ways. Evidence tells us making care better for one group makes it better for everyone. It is not one group versus another but rather, how can we make sure we provide the best care for all.”

The Executive Summary

This report shows that in many instances, the end of life care that trans and gender diverse people receive is not inclusive of them, and despite best intentions and a willingness to learn, staff feel they lack the knowledge and training needed.

Trans and gender diverse people who had accessed palliative and end of life care at times experienced insensitivity from staff, misgendering and confusion over their identity and instances of poor physical care.

Palliative and end of life care staff expressed a positive desire to learn and ensure their services are accessible, with those who had received end of life care sharing many positives about the staff they encountered. However, staff raised serious concerns over discriminatory views not being addressed in the workplace, a lack of training and understanding on LGBTQ+ issues, and a lack of access to information on providing medical and clinical care to trans people.

In wider trans and gender diverse communities, many expressed apprehension about one day having to access end of life care services, in part due to a range of negative experiences with other healthcare services. It is essential that palliative and end of life care providers put in the work to make their services inclusive to ensure that trans and gender diverse people do not miss out on vital quality care.

To do this, health and social care staff need to be better equipped to support trans people. They should receive training pre registration on trans and gender diverse communities, and be supported to access further training throughout their career.

Professional bodies and Royal Colleges should also produce guidance on providing medical and clinical care to trans and gender diverse people in palliative and end of life care.

To improve the end of life care experiences of trans and gender diverse people, and the experiences of trans staff and volunteers within end of life care, providers should develop robust policies that support trans and gender diverse people. Trans and gender diverse people within end of life care spaces must be protected from discrimination and supported to transition.

This includes providing trans and gender diverse people with information on medical and physical transition and ensuring that being at end of life is not an additional barrier to transition related healthcare.

The experiences of trans and gender diverse people remain under recognised in end of life care. There has been little research or attempts to platform trans and gender diverse voices in the sector. This report should be used as an opportunity to continue to make palliative and end of life care services more inclusive, and truly open to all. For Hospice UK, this is a first step and we look forward to developing this work.

Download the full report here.

ACT UP

Women’s History Month might be over but our recognition of women’s rights and gender equality doesn’t end in March. This ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) poster from 1989 demonstrates that all of us, including men, play a vital role in advocating for gender equality.

Women were sorely neglected during the tumultuous years of the AIDS crisis. The Los Angeles chapter of ACT UP was one of the foremost grassroots organisations in the US dedicated to creating change around AIDS responses through direct, non-violent action.

The march advertised in this poster was organised by ACT UP, in collaboration with other LGBT+ groups at the time, and was the second annual National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which originated in 1987. For such a prominent organisation to be organising around women’s rights and, in particular, for women affected by HIV/AIDS was extremely important at the time

Rainbow Lottery – Win an iPhone 14 Pro and an Apple Watch Series 8

The clocks have gone forward, there’s some light in the evenings, and we have a fantastic prize to welcome you into April!

To thank you for your ongoing support for Out In The City, we’re giving you the chance to win an amazing Apple tech bundle – a top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro, and an Apple Watch Series 8!

With a massive 48-megapixel camera, a crystal clear 6.1” display, and 128GB of storage – along with all the speed and processing power you’d expect, this really is the upgrade you’ve been waiting for! The Series 8 watch is fantastic for fitness, or just to keep you connected on the move – this combo is something you DON’T want to miss out on!

The special prize draw will take place on Saturday 29 April. Get your tickets here. If you already have tickets, there’s no need to buy separate tickets, you will be automatically entered into this prize draw. Of course, you are welcome to buy additional tickets here. Every ticket you buy is an extra chance to win, and an extra fundraising boost for Out In The City. It’s a win-win situation!

Thank you and good luck!

George Michael

On 7 April 1998, George Michael was arrested in a public toilet at Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills. He had been caught by a plainclothes police officer performing “a lewd act” on another man. 

The Wham! front man was fined $810 and sentenced to 80 hours of community service, but that wasn’t the last of it. The story exploded in the media and attempted to make a mockery of the singer.

One UK tabloid broke the story on their front page with the headline “Zip Me Up Before You Go-Go”, while others spent weeks dissecting and going over and over the scandal. 

It was at a time when attitudes towards homosexuality were very different than they were today. 1998 was only three years after new types of drugs and therapy had been available to treat HIV and the stigmatised association between AIDS and homosexuality was still very much a real thing.

In the years before the 1998 scandal hit, celebrities were already being publicly outed in the press under the guise of the “public interest”. Footballer Justin Fashanu, came out in a front page tell-all with The Sun newspaper in 1990 and faced immense backlash and crowd abuse in the years afterwards.

Three days after George’s arrest in Beverly Hills, the singer appeared on CNN where he chose to publicly come out. During the interview, the then 34-year-old told presenter Jim Moret: “I want to say that I have no problem with people knowing that I’m in a relationship with a man right now.

I’m a very proud man. I want people to know that I have not been exposed as a gay man in any way that I feel … I don’t feel any shame for. I feel stupid and I feel reckless and weak for having allowed my sexuality to be exposed this way, but I don’t feel any shame whatsoever. And neither do I think I should.”

How George Michael responded to his arrest and the subsequent sensationalism of the scandal is at the centre of a two-part documentary which aired on Channel 4. “George Michael: Outed” showed how the media portrayed George at the time, alongside interviews with LGBT+ celebrities and those who knew George at the time, including former partner Kenny Goss.

It hit hard with a lot of viewers. One person tweeted after watching the show: “It’s utterly heartbreaking. A reminder how homophobic the tabloids were and how gay men were vilified during the 80’s especially.”

Another said: “Watching #georgemichaelouted and seeing how the press outed gay men and what they wrote about the aids situation and gay men as a whole makes me feel physically sick. Who in their right mind thought that it was ok to out people and write such vile things about them?”

One scene saw Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander read through some of the newspaper headlines and reports at the time. One, for example, suggested George should have been ‘honest’ about his sexuality from the beginning.

“You can’t win,” Olly remarked. “You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. And it’s very telling for someone, who I presume isn’t gay, to go ‘You should have done this, and if you’d done this maybe we would have reacted in a different way’.”

Tabloid journalists were also interviewed in the documentary. Neil Wallis, former Deputy Editor of The Sun and The News Of The World, seemed non-phased about the treatment George received at the time saying that celebrity scandals “sell newspapers”.

“All great celebrity stories are essentially about hypocrisy,” he says on screen. “Someone who appears to the public to be this and yet they’re leading a double life which means they’re really this. And the great tabloid hit is stripping away this facade and showing the truth.”

And as for that “zip me up” story in 1998? Neil described it as a “great headline”. He remarked: “Great page one. It’s not exactly, ‘God we should send him to hell this evil man.’ It was laugh-out-loud ridiculous.”

Ultimately, the scandal worked in George’s favour despite many fearing it would end his career. He would later say that “as subconscious plans go, it was pretty successful”.

George would go on to reclaim the narrative with the release of his next single “Outside”. The now-infamous music video for the track sees George play the role of a police officer as he kisses another officer in a bathroom. It was provocative and it was loud and there was certainly no shying away from it after that.

Singer Will Young told filmmakers: “To see someone flip the script and go, Yeah, I’m really proud of this … He was really unique.”

But the documentary shows that anti-LGBT+ attitudes in the media have long been, and still are, borderline obsessive and intrusive. We saw it only last year when Rebel Wilson revealed she was forced to come out after a newspaper threatened to reveal her relationship with girlfriend Ramona Agruma.

“I’ve always hoped that people get an understanding about what it’s like to come out, but also the idea that things may have moved on, but really, they haven’t,” director Michael Ogen told Esquire about the documentary.

“We’re not in a great place and we need to defend those rights and we need allies to help us defend those rights. There’s a comment in the film about how people like George and others were crucified in the press, and I want people to take away from the film that this is not just history; it’s a lesson.”

Loving: A Photographic History

Long resigned to living our lives in secret, behind closed doors, the extent of LGBT+ history that is untold and undocumented is unfathomable.

But thanks to projects like the documentary 100 Years Of Men In Love: The Accidental Collection, some of those stories are coming to light, photograph by photograph.

Inspired by a book of the same name, 100 Years Of Men In Love gives audiences a closer look at photography archives of married couple Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell, a selection of found portraits of men from the 1850s to the 1950s.

During that time, male partnerships were often deemed illegal, so the images of (assumed) gay men together – loving, laughing, cuddling, smiling – feels especially radical.

Nini and Treadwell’s collection was deemed “accidental” because they never really thought they were collecting anything. Over the years, they simply began holding onto any image they could find of men showing affection for one another.

With each visit to an antique shop or a flea market, their collection grew and grew, and the couple eventually realised they needed to share it with the world.

Filmmaker David Millbern tells Nini and Treadwell’s story – as well as those of hundreds of gay couples that came before them – in his hour-long documentary. Speaking with Awards Daily, he remarks that the film is more than just a montage: “We actually go into each picture, we analyze it, we escape into it.”

Later in the conversation, Millbern elaborates on why these photos – some of which are over 150 years old – matter now, and why the seem to connect so deeply with audiences: “People are responding to the love, the love that is captured at a time when these men could have been put in prison or lost their entire livelihood. They could have ruined their lives. Yet they felt their love mattered so much that they wanted to capture it. Little did they know those photos would survive and their love would be basically a call to action … The ability to love freely whoever we choose is basically resting on the shoulders of those who showed us the way.”

In these dark times, a film like100 Years Of Men In Love reminds us what we’re fighting for. What we’ve been fighting for.

After playing film festivals, the film made its official premiere last year, and now streams exclusively on premium LGBT+ network Here TV.

You can check out the film’s trailer below:

‘We’re not all old farts’: LGBT+ elders on life, love and why the battle for equality isn’t over

As they’re photographed for a new project celebrating people aged 50 and above, LGBT+ elders speak to Joanna Whitehead at The Independent about living under Section 28, decades of fighting for the most basic of LGBT+ rights, and the younger people taking up the baton for equality.

When Patrick, a 73-year-old gay man from Manchester, worked as a teacher in a Catholic school in the late Eighties, he was confronted daily by the homophobia of the era. “We were sent videos to try and educate pupils about Aids,” he remembers. “I witnessed our head of PSHE opening up the package containing [the tapes] and throwing it in the bin in disgust. ‘We don’t have people like this in our school,’ she said. ‘We don’t have gay people’.”

For many young queer people, such an attitude might be unthinkable, but for the majority of older LGBT+ people, prejudice, fear and hostility was part and parcel of everyday life. New legislation, greater awareness and improved representation mean things have moved on – albeit slowly – since the dark days of the 20th century. While this doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels – rampant transphobia in almost all areas of life remains a critical rallying point for those invested in LGBT+ liberation, and there’s no disputing the continued existence of misogyny and racism – we also can’t deny that LGBT+ rights have come a long way in the past 40 years.

Patrick is one of four LGBT+ people I spoke with about their experiences as “gay veterans”. As well as reflecting on the past, we discussed the challenges that still exist for LGBT+ people, both young and old. A dearth of positive representation of older LGBT+ people has led to everyone involved in this story participating in the Centre for Ageing Better’s image library, a collection of more than 1,500 positive and realistic images of people aged 50 and above. Free and accessible to all, the image bank has now been nominated for a prestigious Charity Award.

David, 59, is a reverend and activist from Manchester and the chair of Oldham Pride. “I was always told on the gay scene that once you’re past 24, you’re over the hill,” he tells me. “That was thanks to things like Boyz magazine, with all their body-beautiful images.” Such pressure to conform to restrictive bodily standards, or accepted appearances, still has resonance across the LGBT+ community. Venerating slimness or policing whether, how and when a person wears make-up can contribute to a lack of acceptance that many people in the community still struggle with. Discriminatory attitudes – both in and outside of the LGBT+ umbrella – also augment poorer mental health outcomes for LGBT+ people; a 2018 Stonewall report found that half of LGBT people polled had experienced depression in the previous year.

In the Eighties, such discrimination was enshrined in law, however. Section 28, the government act passed in 1988 that prohibited local authorities and schools from “promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality”, had a profound impact on Patrick. He’d been married to a woman for 15 years before coming out at the age of 40, leading his wife to “refuse to talk about it and [give] me three days to tell my children and leave”. Then, once he was seen out with his boyfriend, he was outed at work. “I was interrogated by the headteacher, the parish priest and the full board of governors, and they made me redundant,” he says. “They got me out on ‘economic budgeting grounds’, but I knew the real reason. Section 28 changed my life.”

Liz, from Manchester, was just 13 when her mother discovered she was a lesbian – and promptly took her to a psychiatrist. “Crazy,” says the now 61-year-old. “She denies it, but that’s kind of what we put up with.” Liz’s partner, 67-year-old Jo, also had a difficult time coming to terms with her sexuality as a young person. “I think I spent all my teenage years until I was 18 in total denial,” she says. “I was so relieved when I found out that it was ‘normal’ to have a passion for girls, to have a crush. It was a very lonely, isolated time, with some terrible attitudes. It took a lot of bravery to come out.” This was compounded in the early Eighties, too, upon the advent of Aids. “I was going to have children with my gay friend in Leicestershire and he died of Aids,” Liz remembers. “At that period, I went to so many funerals – I lost so many male gay friends.”

Same-sex relations between men may have been decriminalised in 1967 for those aged 21 and above (there was no equivalent law for women), but public perceptions of LGBT+ people were at rock bottom. Equal rights were a foreign concept. It wasn’t until 1992 that the World Health Organisation declassified same-sex attraction as a mental illness and, incredibly, consensual same-sex relations between men was only permitted for those aged 16 and above from the year 2000 (this was previously set at 18). That was also the same year that the ban on LGBT people serving in the army was lifted. For older LGBT+ people, such experiences shaped their lives.

When it comes to the evolution of LGBT+ rights, David is reflective. “LGBT people are sometimes still seen as ‘mad, bad and sad’,” he says. “The church often has a big hand in that in terms of condemning people. So I’m trying to set the record straight.” He is thankful for the activists who have fought for equality. “I’m grateful to the predecessors who’ve had the courage to stick out their necks and been ostracised and even imprisoned because of who they are. People like [human rights campaigner] Peter Tatchell and [Stonewall founder and LGBT+ activist] Michael Cashman have been role models for me in terms of speaking truth to power and confronting injustice, not just in this country, but also overseas.”

Patrick agrees. “I would not have been able to lead the life I’ve led if it were not for those who came before,” he says. “I think it’s important that younger people understand that the freedom they have today is because of LGBT+ people who put their lives on the line.”

For Jo, the introduction of equalities legislation designed to protect LGBT+ people has been paramount. She cites early equal opportunities policies developed at Manchester City Council, where she used to work, along with hate crime legislation and the 2010 Equality Act. “I used to think it wasn’t worth anything because it’s ‘the establishment’ and all that, but having those legal protections is actually really important,” she says. “In the Seventies, Manchester’s chief of police, James Anderson, said that gay men ‘had it coming to them’ and that people with Aids were ‘in a cesspit of their making’. We’ve gone from being condemned to hell by the most senior police officer in the district to the police developing a concept of hate crime. Once upon a time, you would never, ever go to the police about anything that revealed your sexuality, whereas we feel more supported now. I know the police are in a lot of trouble for not getting it right at the moment, but I don’t want to underestimate the ways that [hate crime legislation] has made us feel safer.”

In terms of the current status of LGBT+ rights, Patrick and David both feel that there is still work to be done. “The pendulum always swings backwards and forwards; we can never be complacent, even in the UK,” says David. For Patrick, transphobia is a major concern. “I think the recent murder of Brianna Ghey has brought home to a lot of younger people that there is still a fight to be had,” he says. He adds that a trans friend of his was “set on” by three teenagers coming home on the bus last week. “For what?” he despairs. “We’re not at the end of the road yet.” He calls on all members of the LGBT+ community to be “as inclusive and tolerant as possible”.

Societal intolerance extends to every aspect of a person’s life – and for older LGBT+ people in a community that often valorises youth, ageism can be rife. Additional and specific challenges faced by this group tend to be amplified for ethnic minority LGBT+ people, those with a disability, refugees or people within other marginalised groups. During our conversations, several issues came up with regularity: a lack of specialist services for LGBT+ communities, concerns about housing and older life care, and fears about having to go back in the closet at vulnerable points in their lives.

Liz remembers looking after her dad’s cousin, a gay man, after he went into residential care later in life. “Every time I visited, the photograph of his partner of 40 years had been put away in a drawer,” she recalls. “I used to get it back out.” Contending with discriminatory attitudes is a very real concern for older LGBT+ people thinking about their later years. “I refuse to go into a place where I have to go back in the closet,” Patrick says. “If I end up having to access care, I want it to be in a place where staff are supportive, they’ve been educated, and people can be themselves.”

And when it comes to their status as “elder gays”, all are united in their enthusiasm for later life. “It’s ironic,” David says. “Some of the young people I know have got little energy, and yet some of the older people I know … they might be 70 [or] 80 but they feel like they’re 25 inside. Their energy and enthusiasm for life is really endearing and stimulating.”

Patrick adds that he has become “more accepting and understanding” of differences as he’s gotten older. “I don’t know where the years have gone,” he says. “In my head, I’m still 33 rather than 73. And that’s partly because I’m active. I’ve got a positive attitude to life. And thankfully, I’ve got reasonably good health.”

The experience of growing up during a hostile period for LGBT+ people gives Liz and Jo an insight into the challenges facing young people today, they say. “We’re here for you,” says Liz. “We’re mother hens. We will adopt you if you need it, even in your thirties!” She says that it is imperative to accept people for “whoever they are, whatever they are,” adding: “We’re still evolving as well. We’re not stuck-in-our ways old farts.”

“Age is just a number,” says David. “When I came out as a teenager, my mum would say to me, ‘Oh, nobody will ever like you. You’ll grow up to be an old, lonely man’. But the opposite is true. I’ve got so many friends. And the older I get, the more attention I get – in all sorts of ways! I just love it. Embrace life and learn from other people’s experiences.”

Anne Lister

It’s Anne Lister’s birthday! Anne Lister (3 April 1791 – 22 September 1840) was an English diarist, famous for revelations for which she was dubbed “the first modern lesbian”.

Masculine in appearance, dressed only in black, and highly educated, she was later known, generally unkindly, as “Gentleman Jack”. Her final significant relationship was with Ann Walker, to whom she was notionally married in Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, now celebrated as the birthplace of lesbian marriage in Britain.

My Fair Lady

Lerner and Loewe’s world-famous musical came to Manchester this week, and a group of us from Out In The City were lucky enough to see the show together with a pre-show Q&A with the cast and crew.

My Fair Lady features an iconic score by Frederick Loewe, the story debuted as a stage musical in the 1950s, before being made into a 1964 film starring Audrey Hepburn.

The narrative centres on young Cockney flower seller Eliza Doolittle and linguistics professor Henry Higgins, who sets himself the challenge of transforming Eliza into a “proper young lady”. The action is seamless and acting superb.

The ingenious revolving set, switching from Professor Higgins’ beautiful wood- panelled study to the bawdy tavern and streets, then the ballroom, is wonderfully atmospheric, transporting you instantly to Edwardian London.

Charlotte Kennedy as Eliza is both comical and endearing. Her singing voice is excellent too.

There is a palpable chemistry between her and Henry Higgins, played with a delightful playfulness and sarcasm by Michael D Xavier. The camaraderie between the Professor and his bachelor pal Colonel Pickering, played with a quintessentially English eccentricity by John Middleton, is fun to watch too.

The famous soprano Lesley Garrett plays the suitably no-nonsense housekeeper. The role of Eliza’s father, dustman Alfred P Doolittle, fits Adam Woodyatt as the Cockney geezer cannily uses his daughter’s new relationship as a vehicle to get rich. Top hats and tails, tiaras, ball gowns and cloaks made for a visual spectacle and a half. Rags to riches stories are as old as time but rarely fail to entertain and with costumes as lavish as this one, great acting and singing and a magical set, this one enthrals and uplifts. There was a standing ovation at the end.

Great Indecencies

Great Indecencies is a new play by Joshua Val Martin. It was premiered at The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre in Chorlton, Manchester on Thursday, 30 March 2023.

The play is the culmination of Legacy of ’67: Initiative Arts Project’s year-long project that captures the real-life accounts of LGBT+ people during the last 50 years. In a time of enormous changes in the public perception of LGBT+ people, twenty volunteers were recruited who conducted one-to-one interviews with older LGBT+ people, and their stories were recorded and donated to the public sound archive at Manchester Libraries in Archives+.

Joshua Val Martin listened to all the testimonies and felt a deep responsibility, having been entrusted with these life stories, to tell the truth. Joshua began by identifying common themes, many of which are impossible to ignore, pervasive stories of homophobia and trauma. Joshua stated: “It was important to me that every plot point, twist and turn-of-phrase in the play had been taken from one of the real memories shared with us. This play had been written many times and years before I arrived: it had just been waiting to be told.”

Out In The City Art Showcase

A dozen of us from Out In The City met on Canal Street and walked down to The LGBT Foundation’s building on Sackville Street. As well as the usual Coffee Morning, the Foundation was hosting the Out In The City Art Showcase.

Most of our group had not visited the building previously. Darren was a marvellous host, and whilst we viewed the art and drank our teas and coffees, he told us about the services available to LGBT+ people.

Some of the pictures can be seen here:

Bakewell

Bakewell is a market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire. It’s the biggest town in the Peak District and is idyllically situated on the banks of the river Wye.

We set off at 10.30am on a coach from Manchester and arrived at 12.00 noon. The mellow stone buildings, medieval five-arched stone bridge and quaint courtyards are a magnet for sightseers and photographers alike.

Bakewell is the ideal place for an interesting town walk. We strolled through the town and discovered scenic buildings and pretty streets. In one of the charming courtyards we discovered the Lavender Tea Rooms and sampled the town’s famous Bakewell Pudding.

Legend has it that the pudding was created by mistake by a local cook in the mid-19th century. Today the delectable ‘jam tart that went wrong’ can be sampled at various bakeries and cafés.

We didn’t find time to visit the Rutland Arms for afternoon tea, to have a look round the Old House Museum or All Saints Church which was founded in 920 during Anglo-Saxon times.

All too soon the time went and we had to return on the coach back to Manchester. Check out the photos here.

International Transgender Day of Visibility

International Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual event occurring on 31 March dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society.

Meet Isobel Jeffery, who has undergone gender confirmation surgery at the age of 80

The former fire fighter and truck driver, who knew from an early age she was trapped in the wrong body, began transitioning to female in October 2021 at the age of 79 after living her life as a woman for six years.

She says it has enabled her to finally find peace.

After beginning hormone therapy a year ago, she had the operation at the private Spire Yale Hospital in Wrexham in January this year.

Isobel said: “I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me; the peace, the calm and the contentment that has been brought over me.

People ask me what I am smiling about, and someone asked recently why I was walking taller! Everything has just fallen into place – it was meant to be.

Now I just want to spread the good news and help others. I feel like 25 – not nearly 81!”

Isobel, of Winsford, Cheshire, has been married to wife Margaret for almost 60 years and had her full support in her transition journey.

She said: “So many people ask why I left it so long but around 10 to 15 years ago, it was becoming more accepted. The changing attitudes in society gave me more confidence to be who I am.

“It’s not to be undertaken lightly, of course, but I am proof that you’re never too old. As long as you’re physically able to undertake the surgery, then it can happen.”

Isobel said she knew from a young age that she was different to other children as she grew up in Marshfield, South Gloucestershire.

She said: “I always played with my sister and her dolls and pushed her pram. Seventy years ago, boys didn’t push dolls’ prams around. It was already starting to show then in hindsight.

I didn’t understand it, I just seemed to feel different. I was dressing up in women’s clothing probably from around 10 or 12. I learned to hide it and was the quiet child at the back normally.”

Isobel took on physical roles for 40 years as she tried to convince herself that she was male.

“I sailed around the world out of Liverpool or London with the merchant navy and did two 18-month voyages. When I came back, I became a fire fighter for Bristol City Fire Service as it was known then,” she said.

“Then I went into heavy goods driving and oversized loads. I did everything I could to ‘prove’ I was a man with ‘manly’ jobs but all the time I had a niggling feeling in the back of my mind. I would come home at the end of the day and get into a nightdress. I can laugh about it now, but I was living two lives.”

Isobel grew up as a boy, alongside four brothers and a sister. It was around the age of 10 that she first realised she felt different.

“I would’ve been bullied badly had I not had a twin brother who stuck up for me. My brother was in a different class to me, and we weren’t always together, but I only had to say so and so has been on at me again and he would sort them out!”

Isobel underwent gender confirmation surgery in January at Spire Yale Hospital in Wrexham.

Isobel’s Consultant said: “I was extremely touched by Isobel’s story. It’s amazing how somebody lived their life for such a long time hiding their real identity, it was very emotional.

The majority of patients are in their 20s or 30s but quite a few patients wish to complete their transition with gender affirming surgery in their 50s or 60s.

This is really a story about what it means to be transgender. We are living in a more liberal society now compared to a time when people like Isobel were growing up.

But discrimination and barriers still exist. For many people with gender dysphoria, life is filled with anxiety, depression, pain and a struggle for acceptance, belonging and equality.

Gender incongruence is not a choice – being born with a body that is not aligned with what your mind perceives as your true identity is scary and makes you question your space in society. It has taken Isobel almost eight decades to get to the point where she mustered up the courage to express and reveal her real identity.”

Billy Tipton, jazz artist who lived for decades secretly as a man…

Billy Tipton was a jazz musician who achieved only modest regional success in the 40’s and 50’s. His career included live radio shows with Big Bands and evolved into jazz quartets and trios playing in night clubs. In his 74 years, in addition to being a band leader and a booking agent, he was a husband five times and adopted three children. After he died in 1989 in Spokane, a coroner revealed that he was much more, and the mysterious story ran wild on the wire services: Billy Tipton was a woman.

It seems that Tipton’s decision to adopt a male disguise was likely motivated, at least at first, by practical reasons: It was the depression, people were desperate for work, and it was especially difficult for women to get work playing in jazz bands. So, at 19, Dorothy Tipton began cross-dressing to get a job in a band. She cut her hair, put on men’s clothing, bound her breasts and re-christened herself Billy Tipton, eventually fooling five wives and the world for more than 50 years. Tipton left no letters of explanation, so we can only speculate on what drove him, but we can learn much of what there is to know from a biography by Diane Wood Middlebrook called “Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton.”