Palace Theatre Tour

After lunching at Via on Canal Street in the Gay Village, we walked to the Palace Theatre for a hugely anticipated backstage tour.

The Palace Theatre, one of the main theatres in Manchester, opened on 18 May 1891 and has been continually active since then. It is one of the largest and best equipped theatres outside London, and is capable of hosting major touring musicals often with major celebrities and performances of opera and ballet, along with various other comedy acts and one night concerts.

The opening presentation, 135 years ago to a capacity audience, was the ballet Cleopatra. But only when it broadened its scope to include more popular performers was it a resounding success. During the early part of the 20th century it came into its own, with artists such as Danny Kaye, Gracie Fields, Charles Laughton, Judy Garland, Noël Coward and Laurel and Hardy making appearances.

Our guide, Grace, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and we visited the vast stage, the stalls, boxes and dressing rooms.

All in all a very worthwhile visit. More photos can be seen here.

The Wind at Cinema 1, HOME

The Wind was the final silent film released by MGM but would go on to be widely regarded as one of the greatest films of Hollywood’s late silent era.

This screening featured a brilliant live score performed by Stephen Horne. He has long been considered one of the leading silent film accompanists. Principally a pianist, Stephen simultaneously incorporated a flute into his performance.

A house pianist at London’s BFI Southbank for thirty-five years, he has played at major venues across the UK and regularly performs at film festivals around the world. 

Another fantastic experience.

Wednesday, 11 February – Saturday, 14 February

Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival

HOME Cinema, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester M15 4FN

Wednesday, 11 February – 6.30pm – Iris 2025: Best Bits + Q&A

Award winners, audience favourites and unforgettable stories

Thursday, 12 February – 6.00pm – Blue Boy Trial + Q&A

The ground-breaking true story of the moment that changed LGBTQ+ visibility in Japan

Saturday, 14 February – 3.30pm – When Love Broke the Law + Q&A

Celebrate desire, protest and the power of love this Valentine’s Day

Tonic Housing

Tonic is a community-led not for profit organisation. They are focused on creating vibrant and inclusive urbanLGBT+ affirming retirement communities where people can share common experiences, find mutual support and enjoy their later life.

They were established in 2014 to address the issues of loneliness and isolation of older LGBT+ people and the need for specific housing and support provision. They opened the UK’s first LGBT+ retirement community, Tonic@Bankhouse in London in Summer 2021. 

Milestone

A historic milestone has officially been reached in the heart of Vauxhall.

Tonic Housing became fully occupied, welcoming the final residents into the UK’s first “LGBT+-first” retirement community. Located on the Albert Embankment, the facility is more than just a home. It is a sanctuary where our history is celebrated rather than hidden.

For many in the older generation, the fear of “going back into the closet” in traditional care homes is a reality. Tonic Housing is changing that. By providing care that is genuinely affirming of LGBT+ lives, they are ensuring that those who fought for our freedom can age with the dignity and “chosen family” they deserve.

Birthdays

Could an Openly Gay Queen or King Rule the UK?

Imagine a scenario from a possible future: A king and queen leave the throne to their first born son or daughter. This heir to the throne is married to someone of the same sex.

Would the gay king or queen’s spouse have a royal title? Would their child be heir to the throne? Current law doesn’t have answers to those questions.

In 2013 Queen Elizabeth II came out (obliquely) in support of LGBT rights. Last year King Charles III attended the launch of “Open Letter” – the memorial for UK LGBT+ service members, showing support for the LGBT+ communities for the first time.

Turns out there have been many royals in the past that had tongues wagging over their rumoured gay ways:

William II

William II was an effeminate medieval king who never married. Was he an unsung hero of the LGBTQ community? William II might actually have been trans since he often favoured women’s clothing.

Richard I

Richard the Lionheart, often portrayed as gay in films (notably by Anthony Hopkins in The Lion in Winter), was a “gay icon”. Richard reportedly shared a bed with King Philip II of France.

Edward II

This royal’s same-sex infatuations were so well-known that Christopher Marlowe’s 1593 play Edward the Second included the king’s fraught relationship with Piers Gaveston, a close adviser and member of his court. Derek Jarman’s 1991 film Edward II was based on the play and went a lot further than Marlowe, with gay sex and oodles of homoeroticism.

James I

Although married, King James is often remembered as bisexual, and members of his court called him “Queen James.” In honour of the king, who spearheaded an English-language translation of the Bible, there’s a modern version that expunges all the antigay references titled Queen James Bible.

Queen Anne

Queen Anne’s friendship with Sarah Churchill – founder of the Churchill-Spencer dynasty, which produced Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales – was likely very close. The power-hungry Churchill blackmailed Anne by threatening to reveal their passionate letters and accused the queen of playing favourites with women in her court with whom she was sleeping.

Prince George

Prince George had three older brothers, but a scandalous string of affairs would have likely prevented him from ascending the throne anyway. Letters from Noel Coward indicate he and George were lovers, though the playwright was only one of several male lovers the prince reportedly took before his death in a plane crash at 39.

Princess Margaret

The wild younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret scandalised the royal family when she divorced her husband in 1978. Allegations of drug use and lesbian affairs appeared in the book Margaret: The Last Real Princess and the British TV movie The Queen’s Sister. The documentary Margaret: The Secret Princess also included claims of Margaret’s bisexuality.

The Brisbane Suburb of Herston

Herston is a name alluding to the state’s first premier and the man believed to be his lover.

Today the story would be unremarkable: two gay men, migrants from England, give their Queensland home a portmanteau of their last names.

But in 1859, these two men, Robert Herbert and John Bramston, were the new state’s first premier (then called colonial secretary) and one of his attorneys general.

The name, Herston, was later used to name the modern suburb that covers the area. Gay historians argue that the long-forgotten history of Herston should finally get the recognition it deserves.

Herbert and Bramston met at Balliol College, Oxford, in the 1850s, and shared rooms there and in London.

Herbert never married and had no children.

In an 1864 letter to his sister, Herbert explained that marriage would risk “being wretched”, for a chance “of a little possible additional happiness”.

“It does not seem to me reasonable to tell a man who is happy and content, to marry a woman who may turn out a great disappointment,” the letter reads.

There must be a lot of gay men today who have explained it that way to their sisters and mothers.

Herbert held his position until February 1866 and returned to England shortly afterwards, where he lived until his death in 1905.

Bramston also returned briefly to England, but was back in Queensland by 1868, and married Eliza Russell in Brisbane in 1872. He died in Wimbledon in 1921.

Herbert’s government showed an unusual degree of sympathy for gay men. Queensland was the first state in the country to remove the death penalty for the offence of male sodomy. New South Wales did not do so for two decades.

Their relationship was doubly unlawful, doubly secret, because of Herbert’s influential position.

But we need to be careful about celebrating people in the past who lived closeted lives, because we only know a limited amount about them.

Homophobia in politics escalated by the conservative government of Russell Cooper, part of a desperate attempt to distract from revelations of corruption in cabinet and the police, He said a Labour government would bring a “flood of gays crossing the border from the Southern states”. There was even a proposal to extend the state’s laws to cover women for the first time.

In 1989, Queensland police laid some of Australia’s last charges under anti-gay laws. In 2017, the state government apologised and quashed a century and a half of recorded convictions.

Queensland’s first openly gay MP, Trevor Evans, was elected in 2016, 157 years after Herbert took office.

Although the Herston home is long gone – Herbert’s name lives on, but more prominently in far north Queensland, which boasts a Herbert river, a Herbert range, the town of Herberton and the federal electorate of Herbert. In 1975, the Queensland Place Names Board approved the official naming of the Brisbane suburb as Herston.

Shameful fact: There are still 64 countries in the world where homosexuality is illegal.

End conversion therapy

Conversion practices include any medical, psychiatric, psychological, religious or cultural interventions that seek to change, ‘cure’ or suppress the sexual orientation or the gender identity of a person.

International Day to End Conversion Therapy is an annual observance held on 7 January that seeks to raise awareness about the harms associated with conversion therapy practices worldwide.

The day highlights the resilience of survivors, amplifies their experiences and promotes advocacy for the global elimination of such practices. It also calls on policymakers, allies and communities to support affirming, evidence-based care for LGBT+ individuals.

It’s been seven years now since a ban was first proposed. It was featured in the King’s Speech a year and a half ago. The Ban Conversion Practices Coalition, of which Stonewall is a proud founding member, have presented an open letter to the Prime Minister.

The letter urges him to finally make good on his promise and publish a draft Bill to ban conversion practices for LGBT+ communities as soon as possible. 

New EHRC chair tells trans people to ‘judge me on what I do’ following criticism

Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson (The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC’s) new chair) insisted she was intent on upholding the “rights of everybody across all protected characteristics” in her first interview since replacing Baroness Kishwer Falkner in December.

Following the government’s confirmation of Stephenson’s appointment in July, the former director of the Women’s Budget Group faced criticism from various groups for her past engagement with so-called ‘gender-critical’ activists.

In 2022, Dr Stephenson donated to LGB Alliance founder Allison Bailey’s legal fund after she sued Stonewall and Garden Court Chambers, claiming she had been discriminated against for her views on trans people. In December 2025 Allison Bailey had a further appeal dismissed in her case against LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall.

She also faced criticism for signing two open letters in 2017 and 2018: The former linked the actions of “transgender activists” to an attack on a women’s rights campaigner, and the latter stated that those opposed to reforming the Gender Recognition Act – something that would have made it easier for trans people to have their gender identity legally recognised – should be protected from “harassment and intimidation.”

Several LGBT+ rights groups and non-profits, including Stonewall, Galop and TransActual, signed an open letter objecting to Dr Stephenson’s appointment, saying that, while they recognised her “impressive track record” in equality law, her previous actions are “at odds with inclusivity for all.”

Dr Stephenson claimed the open letters had been “really widely mischaracterised as kind of anti-trans letters”, arguing that they instead fell in line with her commitment to “protecting and upholding human rights.”

Asked what she would say to someone with concerns that she had taken a side on the issue, she said: “I was concerned about women who had been harassed or sometimes lost their jobs for the expression of legally protected views at a point when there was a public debate about changing legislation.

“I would say, you know, judge me on what I do. I am really keen, I think it’s really important for the chair of the EHRC to uphold the rights of everybody across all protected characteristics.”

Chaps Out

Chaps Out is a UK-based podcast giving voice to perspectives you don’t often hear. They provide relatable, uplifting and positive conversations that offer encouragement, affirmation and support for anyone on the journey of coming out, while celebrating and supporting bisexual and gay men.

In this first episode of CHAPS OUT (Coming Out at 40), host Grant Philpott sits down with Stephen McKenna, who shares his powerful story of self-acceptance and coming out later in life after decades of silence living in the UK during the 70s, 80s and 90s.

This is not a story of regret, but one of rebirth, courage and hope; an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to become your true self.

In this heartfelt conversation, Stephen reflects on:

• Embracing your identity at any age

• Turning fear into freedom

• Finding joy after years of hiding

• Growing up with shame

• Self-love, healing and building confidence

• The pivotal moment when everything “clicked”

• Navigating marriage breakdown

• Why living authentically is possible at any stage in life.

If you’re questioning your identity, coming out or supporting someone who is, this episode offers warmth, optimism and real-life inspiration.

Maurice

Edward Morgan Forster was born on 1 January 1879.

He wrote a love story between two men with a happy ending in 1914 – then locked it in a drawer for 57 years. He died one year before the world finally read it.

E M Forster was already a celebrated author in 1913 when he began writing a novel he knew he could never publish. He had written A Room with a View and Howards End, books that made him famous, books that examined English society with wit and precision.

But this new novel was different. This one was about him.

Maurice tells the story of a young man who falls in love with his Cambridge classmate, Clive Durham. When Clive eventually rejects him, Maurice finds love with Alec Scudder, a working-class gamekeeper. And here’s what made it revolutionary: they run away together. They choose each other. They get a happy ending.

In 1914, that ending was unthinkable.

This wasn’t ancient history. This was the era of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment still fresh in memory, of men arrested and jailed for “gross indecency”, of lives destroyed simply for loving someone of the same sex.

Homosexuality was a crime punishable by up to two years of hard labour. The law wouldn’t change until 1967 – and even then, only partially. Men lost their careers, their families, their freedom. Some were chemically castrated. Some took their own lives rather than face exposure.

Oscar Wilde had died in exile in 1900, destroyed by the very society Forster moved through. The message was clear: if you were a man who loved men, your story could only end in tragedy, shame or silence.

Forster refused to write that ending.

When he finished Maurice in 1914, he showed it to a handful of trusted friends. Their responses were mixed. Some were moved. Others warned him never to publish it. One friend told him it was “too dangerous.”

Forster typed a note and attached it to the manuscript: “Publishable – but is it worth it?” Then he put it in a drawer and locked it away.

For the next 56 years, Maurice existed only in typescript, read by a small circle of Forster’s closest confidants. He revised it occasionally, updating details, refining scenes. But he never published it.

He couldn’t. Not while his mother was alive.

Lily Forster lived until 1945, dying at age 90. Forster had lived with her for most of his life. She was domineering, possessive, and completely unaware – or wilfully ignorant – of her son’s sexuality. Forster couldn’t risk her discovering the truth, couldn’t bear the scandal it would bring to her.

After her death, Forster was more open with friends, but still not with the world. He was 66 years old when his mother died, too old to rebuild a life as an openly gay man, too entrenched in a society that would reject him.

He had other secrets, too.

In 1930, Forster met Bob Buckingham, a 28-year-old policeman. Forster was 51. They fell deeply in love – or something like it. Their relationship was physical and emotional, documented in letters that reveal Forster’s longing and devotion.

Then, in 1932, Bob married a woman named May Hockey. The relationship didn’t end. Instead, it transformed into a complicated triangle. Forster remained close to both Bob and May for the rest of his life, often visiting them, sometimes causing tension. It was love, compromise, and quiet heartbreak all at once.

Forster lived in the shadows – loving Bob, writing privately, achieving public success while hiding his true self.

In 1954, something happened that reminded Forster just how dangerous those shadows were. Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who had helped crack the Enigma code and save countless lives during World War II, was arrested for “gross indecency” after his relationship with another man was discovered. He was convicted. Given a choice between prison or chemical castration, he chose the latter.

In 1954, Turing died of cyanide poisoning. The official verdict was suicide.

Forster knew Turing. He knew what the law could do. He knew that Maurice, with its defiant happy ending, was not just a love story – it was an act of rebellion. But still, he didn’t publish it.

He left instructions: the novel could be published after his death. Only then would it be safe. Only then could it exist without destroying him.

E M Forster died on 7 June 1970, at age 91. He had lived through two world wars, had written masterpieces that were taught in schools, had been celebrated and honoured. But he died without ever seeing Maurice in print.

In August 1971, one year after Forster’s death, Maurice was finally published. The timing was extraordinary. The Stonewall riots had occurred in 1969, igniting the modern LGBT+ rights movement. The world was changing, slowly but undeniably. And into that changing world came a novel written 57 years earlier – a novel that said, quietly but firmly: You deserve to be happy. You deserve love. You deserve an ending that doesn’t break you. The response was overwhelming.

Gay readers around the world found themselves in Maurice’s story. For many, it was the first time they’d seen their own experience reflected in literature – not as tragedy, not as cautionary tale, but as love worthy of celebration.

Letters poured in from people who had lived in hiding, who had believed their only options were loneliness or shame. Maurice told them something different. It told them they could choose each other. They could run away together. They could be happy.

In 1987, the novel was adapted into a film by Merchant Ivory, bringing Forster’s hidden masterpiece to an even wider audience.

But Forster never knew any of this. He died believing the world might reject his truth, might judge him, might destroy what little peace he had built. He locked away the most honest thing he ever wrote – a love story that said happiness was possible – and lived his life in the quiet spaces between what was said and what was felt.

E M Forster spent 57 years protecting Maurice. He protected it from the law, from scandal, from a society that would have punished him for writing it. And in doing so, he gave future generations something rare: a story that ends not with death or despair, but with two men choosing each other and walking into the greenwood together, free.

He lived in the shadows. But he left behind a light. And that light – 57 years delayed, one year too late for him to see – has been shining ever since.

I wouldn’t tell a care home I’m gay

In a recent interview on The View From Here podcast, Ted Brown, a veteran LGBT+ rights campaigner, former member of the Gay Liberation Front, and co-organiser of the UK’s first Pride march, is raising concerns about a growing issue of homophobia, transphobia and societal prejudice in the context of elderly care and care homes.

In The View From Here, Ted reflects on a lifetime of activism that began in the 1960s and ’70s. He emphasises that for many LGBT+ individuals, one of the most severe experiences of homophobia and transphobia often occurs during end-of-life care.

In a startling revelation, Ted told the podcast: “If I was going into a care home now, I would not let them know that I was gay.”

Ted reflects on the treatment of his long-term partner, Noel, who suffered repeated homophobic abuse in a council-run care home. This ultimately led to Lambeth Council paying £30,000 in compensation, but tragically, this occurred only after Noel’s death.

“I had a civil partnership with Noel in 2017 because I realised he was getting dementia and I needed to make sure that I had a responsibility as a carer, and the council and various other people did not recognise our relationship.”

“They did not want to recognise that he was my partner. They didn’t want to recognise gay people as a relationship.”

Ted continues: “You’d be surprised how easy it is and how often a carer can just accidentally kick your ankle as they’re preparing your meal or changing your bed. Or, oops, did I spill tea on your lap again?”

“It’s a one-to-one. They’re in a room with you; you’re in a room with this person. There are no other witnesses.”

Ted introduces his latest campaign, Not Going in the Care Closet, which seeks to ensure no other LGBT+ person has to experience the abuse suffered by Noel, but also to ensure that people have the freedom to be themselves in the elderly care system. The initial aim is to share sources of legal and social advice that can provide support, if required, to protect a partner in a care home.

There are indications that Ted’s campaign is making a difference. Following the controversy surrounding the treatment of Noel, Lambeth Council seems to be starting procedures to ensure that the needs of LGBT+ residents are considered by the care homes with which it is connected.

The View From Here is a UK-based podcast that highlights LGBT+ history through in-depth interviews with some of the UK’s leading changemakers. Their goal is to preserve these stories and inspire the activists of tomorrow.

Ted’s full interview is available now, accessible on all major podcast platforms at www.tvfh.co.uk/listen

Andy Burnham apologises for historic police failings towards LGBT+ people

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has apologised for historic police failings towards LGBT+ people.

In a letter to the Peter Tatchell Foundation, who have been seeking apologies for “the past homophobic persecution” of LGBT+ people by UK police forces, Mr Burnham acknowledged the “unacceptable discrimination and the pain and suffering” caused by police failures.

He said: “There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the LGBT+ community historically were treated shamefully by this country and clearly subject to discrimination in many ways.

That discrimination did not only play out in policing, but in all public services and beyond, though I of course acknowledge the distinct consequences of discriminatory and targeted policing.

Fortunately, as you acknowledge, things have moved dramatically forward since the 1980s and 1990s.”

He continued: “As Mayor of Greater Manchester, I acknowledge the unacceptable discrimination and the pain and suffering it caused. I apologise to all LGBT+ people in Greater Manchester and across the UK for the past failing of GMP in this regard.”

Mr Burnham’s comment comes as Greater Manchester Police chief constable Sir Stephen Watson has faced criticism for refusing to apologise on behalf of his force, as he said that to do so could be seen as “superficial and merely performative”.

Activist Peter Tatchell has said that Greater Manchester Police was once “one of the most homophobic police forces in the UK”, citing comments made by 1980s chief constable Sir James Anderton who said that “gay men dying of Aids were ‘swirling around in a human cesspit of their own making’.

“Motivated by his homophobic religious beliefs, he ordered the police to ‘go after’ LGBTs.”

More than 20 chief constables across the UK have apologised for their history of homophobia, including those for City of London, Sussex, Merseyside, Police Scotland, Northumberland, and Durham. The Police Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police has also apologised.

Mr Tatchell said that “GMP has so far refused to do the same. We urge Stephen Watson to do so.”

The Independent understands that there is no change in GMP’s stance at this stage.

The Greater Manchester Mayor commented on Sir Stephen’s comments, acknowledging in his letter that while the Chief Constable hadn’t acceded Mr Tatchell’s request, he believed it was “considered and respectful.”

“It is important for me to point out that Mayors and Police and Crime commissioners have no statutory powers to instruct chief constables, as in law they are operationally independent.”

Mr Tatchell said: “I am grateful to Andy Burnham for his clear and unequivocal apology for the historic mistreatment of LGBT+ people by Greater Manchester Police.

“However, it is deeply disappointing that the Chief Constable continues to refuse to say sorry. A mayoral apology, welcome though it is, cannot substitute for an apology from the police force that carried out these abuses.

“An official GMP apology would be a powerful act of accountability, reconciliation and trust-building with LGBT+ communities. We urge the Chief Constable to follow the example set by Mayor Burnham and other police chiefs across Britain.

“Our foundation will continue to campaign for a full and formal apology from Greater Manchester Police.”

British Ice Skating will now allow same-sex partners to compete

British Ice Skating (BIS), which regulates official ice skating competitions in the United Kingdom, has announced that same-sex pairs will be eligible to compete in couples competitions, starting with the qualifying rounds in March 2026. The change opens the door for more diverse representation, moves away from outdated norms and may reduce the barrier to entry for some trans and nonbinary participants.

“We are pleased to inform you of several upcoming changes for the 2026/27 season,” BIS announced. “These updates follow recent reviews across all disciplines and reflect our continued commitment to supporting skater development, performance pathways and fair access to competition … Same-sex couples will now be permitted to compete in all events, including at the Championships.”

The move makes the United Kingdom only the third country to allow same-sex ice dancing couples to compete in championships. Skate Canada made its nation the first in 2022, when the rules were changed to allow any two skaters, regardless of gender, to partner.

Finland followed suit earlier this year, amending its rules under pressure from Millie Colling, a British ice dancer who moved to Finland at the age of 6, and Emma Aalto, with the support of their coach. The same-sex pair say they are “best friends who wanted to skate together,” and Colling added that there’s a “common misconception” that same-sex ice dancer pairs are in a relationship.

However, same-sex partners still face limitations in competitions. The new BIS rules allow them to compete all the way to the national level, but the International Skating Union (ISU), which governs international competition, still requires ice dancing pairs to be composed of one man and one woman.

While some smaller competitions have allowed same-sex pairing on the ice before, BIS’s move is a big step for inclusivity in national-level sports. In addition to allowing people to choose their own partners based on skill and compatibility, the change likely makes it easier for trans and nonbinary ice skaters to participate in couples competitions without concern for how their birth gender or gender identity might clash with specific rules.

There has been an increasing push from the ice skating community to repeal old-school rules. In February, Olympic gold medalists Madison Hubbell and Gabriella Papadakis left their male partners on the sidelines and performed an exhibition dance together to challenge people’s image of the sport.

“We made people see other realities,” Papadakis said. “The new generation just doesn’t relate to the requirement to have a male and female partner anymore.”

Canadian Olympic skater Kaitlyn Weaver, who waited until after her retirement to come out as lesbian, fearing it would damage her career, helped get the rules changed in Canada and has also been pushing for broader amendments. She criticised the insistence on requiring a man and a woman to partner, saying, “The conservative people don’t want to see two men skating together … It’s their homophobia.”

The policy changes also address a gender imbalance in the sport. As fewer men take up figure skating (owing to perceived homophobia), female skaters have been hard-pressed to find male partners. This has reportedly given too much power to one side in the sport, but allowing women to pair up has helped redress that issue.

Birthday

What I’ve Been Watching … Carry On Constable