‘People forget we exist’: Why older LGBTQ+ people fear losing identity

Article by Josh Parry / BBC LGBT & Identity Reporter

As a 75-year-old lesbian, Mindy Meleyal has lived through every major milestone in the modern LGBT rights movement, from the start of decriminalisation in 1967 to the first same-sex marriages in 2014.

But now she says this important part of her identity is frequently overlooked due to her age.

She’s part of England’s older LGBTQ+ community, which a new report suggests often experiences poorer health, more limited finances and greater social isolation than the wider older population.

The report, from the Centre for Ageing Better, says without specialist support, this growing demographic could be forced “back into the closet” when accessing care, warning they may even delay getting the care they need because of concerns about homophobia.

Adam Porter, a housing development manager from the LGBT Foundation charity, says he regularly meets older members of the community in exactly that situation.

“It’s very common for people to hide things if they have a carer visiting their home, for example hiding their wedding photos or taking down a trans flag,” he says.

“In the case of someone moving into a care environment, that means hiding who they are in their own home, for what could be the rest of their life.”

He says he has been “horrified” by some of the stories he has heard meeting older LGBTQ+ people, including some who have had carers offer to “pray for them” regarding their sexuality.

Porter is part of the team behind Kindred House, a first-of-its-kind LGBTQ+ social housing scheme for over-55s, set to open in Manchester next year.

The scheme, a joint project with the local council, will provide 80 self-contained apartments and communal areas available to the local community.

The majority of residents will be LGBTQ+.

The Kindred House scheme is what’s known as extra-care housing, which means residents live independently, but there is a 24/7 care team available for those who need extra help, and all staff will receive specialist training around LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Porter says he hopes the scheme will “trigger some conversations” about how to best support older LGBTQ+ people in the challenges they face.

‘People start clumping you together with other stereotypes’

Mindy and her wife Linda have been together for more than 30 years, but says they’re often mistaken for sisters.

“She’s 18 inches taller than me, I’ve got a Yorkshire accent and she’s got a Northern Irish accent,” Mindy says. “I think it’s pretty obvious we weren’t brought up in the same building.”

She believes part of that is often down to people presuming she is straight because of her age.

“There are different tribes of people in every age group, but when you get older, people start clumping you together with other stereotypes,” she says.

On one occasion, while Mindy was in hospital after a stroke, a nurse referred to Linda as Mindy’s husband. She said it was not only “insulting”, but made her consider what sort of training the staff might have had.

The Spotlight on Ageing report says these sort of experiences can also have an impact on the support people receive.

Sarah Wilkinson, research and analysis manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, says after a “lifetime of homophobia and transphobia”, older LGBTQ+ people now face the “additional, and overlapping, challenge of ageism”.

The report says older LGBTQ+ people are less likely to have children – someone born in 1950 would have been in their 50s by the time same-sex couples could legally adopt – and that they are more likely to be estranged from their families when compared to their heterosexual counterparts.

The report also found more than half of gay and bisexual men aged 65 and above live alone, compared with less than a quarter of heterosexual men. Bisexual women aged 50 to 64 are twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to live alone.

It also suggests that only half of gay and bisexual men aged 50 and above definitely agree they would have someone to help them if they needed, 14 percentage points lower than heterosexual men of the same age.

‘Chosen family means a lot to me’

Norman Goodman, 75, came out as bisexual in his late 60s after the death of his wife Marilyn.

The couple never had children, and Norman now has no immediate family nearby to help him with things like hospital visits or housework.

He says his support system comes in the form of his partner Tony, and a group of friends and neighbours he refers to as his “chosen family”.

“I’m lucky, I’ve got great friends and great neighbours, and I know I can knock on somebody’s door day or night and I could get help,” he says.

But despite having their support while he’s relatively independent, Norman says he worries about the prospect of facing discrimination if he needs more formal care as he ages.

“Hopefully I will maintain and look after myself the best I can, but I’ve heard horror stories of gay people in nursing homes being treated terribly,” he says.

“I think nurses, doctors, carers should all be trained on how to look after LGBT people.”

It’s the reason behind schemes like Manchester’s Kindred House, which are not unusual in other parts of the world.

There are similar projects in Spain, Sweden, Germany, the US and Canada, but in the UK they are few and far between.

In 2021, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ retirement home, Tonic, opened in London with 19 apartments for private rental or shared ownership.

The scheme attracted so much attention, later this year it is set to feature in a Netflix documentary telling the story of one of its first residents, Chek Min-Ong.

After 43 years together, Min, 77, and his late partner Tim, had discussed their plans for a future where one of them would live alone, as Tim’s health deteriorated.

“Tim and I have always had this very open discussion, we wanted to know, when one of us is not here anymore, the other person will have a community and feel safe,” Min says.

When Tim died five months after moving into Tonic, Min says his new-found community rallied around him.

“It is what (Tim and I) always wanted, that we’d never have to explain ourselves,” he says. “We’d never have to face a question and feel guilty about not telling the full story, or having to lie.

“You’re just here, being yourself.”

‘It’s something I’m really proud to be a part of’

While schemes like Kindred House and Tonic are welcomed by Mindy, Norman and Min, the Spotlight on Ageing report warns that, because the older LGBTQ+ population is growing, the demand for specialist services is expected to outstrip supply.

Between 2019 and 2024, the number of over-50s identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual in the UK increased by around a third – from roughly 340,000 to almost 460,000.

There was a 4% rise in the number of heterosexual people aged 50 and above in the same period.

These numbers are projected to continue to increase as the relatively larger younger generations of people identifying as LGBTQ+ age.

Porter warns that without more schemes like Kindred House, and more training and awareness for those in other care settings, the ageing population may struggle to get proper support.

For Mindy, who is part of a steering group advising on the plans, knowing there may be more options available in the future is reassuring.

“It’s important that you can go, that you think, ‘You know what, I could live there because I know the staffing, the ethics, the rules, everything about the place has been put together from an LGBTQ+ focus,'” she says.

“That’s what we’ve been doing and it’s something I’m really proud of being a part of.”

Preface to “State of Ageing Spotlight – Older LGBTQ+ People”

I welcome this very timely report spotlighting the experiences of older LGBTQ+ people.

The fear as we age – and contemplate greater care and different living arrangements – that we may need to go back into the closet after  a lifetime of being out and open about our sexuality and gender identity is a very real one.

Too often older LGBTQ+ people are regarded as simply ‘old’ and as a problem that needs dealing with. This ignores the rich, varied, amazing and remarkable lives many of us have lived, and the achievements of surviving in a world that does not always recognise or acknowledge us, and can be increasingly hostile.

As I live in Manchester, with its large active and engaged diverse LGBTQ+ population, I am aware that I have a degree of protection not available to those who live in more rural and isolated communities. Pride in Ageing, run by the LGBT Foundation, the majority LGBTQ+ occupied extra care housing scheme currently being built in south Manchester, and the volunteer-led Out in the City group which addresses social isolation are examples of best practice in this field.

I hope that this report will serve to inform policy-makers of the particular lived experiences and needs of the older LGBTQ+ community in the provision of services, and much more besides.

Image credits: Brian Hart, Che Archives, Bishopsgate Institute; Getty

Falls Prevention Awareness Week

21 to 25 September 2026

The week aims to raise awareness of falls prevention and encourage people to take practical steps to reduce their risk of falling. This year’s theme, From Awareness to Action, focuses on helping people stay active, maintaining strength and balance and living independently for longer. Community based Strength and balance classes aiming to support long term adherence to exercise.  For more information visit here.

Bi Visibility Day is a call to recognise and celebrate Bi+ history, Bi+ community and culture, and all the Bi+ people in their lives. This is its 28th year.

People individually and collectively celebrate and mark the date in all sorts of ways: in recent years there have been meetups, brunches, dinners, Bi Pride marches, flag-flying, talks, discussions, debates, film screenings, parties and more.

How will you mark Bi Visibility Day in 2026?

First observed in 1999, Bi Visibility Day is the brainchild of three United States bisexual rights activists: Wendy Curry of Maine, Michael Page of Florida, and Gigi Raven Wilbur of Texas. Bi Visibility Day is also known by other names such as Bi Pride Day, International Celebrate Bisexuality Day. The festive celebrations now often take place in Bisexual Awareness Week and Bi Visibility Month. More history on the Wikipedia page.

Ordsall Hall

Ordsall Hall is a large former manor house in the historic parish of Ordsall, now part of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester. It dates back nearly 850 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century.

Ordsall Hall has had a long and interesting history with many different uses – a family home, working men’s club and church hall. The most important period of its life is undoubtedly as the family seat of the Radclyffe family who resided there for over 300 of those years. It was first mentioned in records in 1177!

With the assistance of a guided tour we explored a variety of rooms throughout the hall, including the Great Hall, the Kitchen, Star Chamber and the Great Chamber.

More photos can be seen here.

40 Years Together – 18 Years Legally Married

Before marriage equality became law, George and Brad Takei were already building a life together.

Now, four decades after they first found each other, the beloved couple is celebrating 18 years as legally recognised husbands.

George shared a beautiful anniversary photo of himself and Brad in New York City, smiling with their arms wrapped around each other—the same love, the same partnership, after all these years.

Their journey began 40 years ago, but it wasn’t until 14 September 2008, that they could finally say “husband and husband” in the eyes of the law.

They exchanged vows at the Democracy Forum of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, following the California Supreme Court’s historic decision striking down the state’s ban on same-gender marriage.

Four decades of love. Eighteen years of marriage. One incredible reminder that love can endure long before the law catches up.

Happy Anniversary, George and Brad Takei.

Rose Valland

In 1940, the Nazi High Command marched into the Jeu de Paume museum in Paris. They saw a quiet, unassuming French woman straightening frames and organising files, and they dismissed her as harmless background noise.

They were wrong.

As Hermann Göring arrived to personally select stolen masterpieces for his private collection, the greatest art heist in history unfolded. While most curators were pushed out, the Germans kept one administrator to manage the building’s logistics.

This was Rose Valland. To the occupiers, she was just a low-level bureaucrat keeping the facility running. But they made a fatal miscalculation: they assumed she only spoke French.

Rose spoke fluent German. For four terrifying years, she never let that secret slip. Not once.

She stood silently in the corners while officers discussed top-secret shipment schedules. She listened as they debated which trains would carry Vermeers and Rembrandts to bunkers in Germany. She heard them laugh about the Jewish families they had robbed. The mental toll was agonising; she had to watch the heritage of her nation being crated and erased.

Every night, she went home and risked immediate execution by secretly cataloging everything – the artist, the original owner, and the destination code on each crate. She used scraps of paper and memorised train numbers, writing them down only when she was safely alone.

When the French Resistance considered bombing the railways to stop German transports, Rose intervened with specific intelligence. She told them which trains held munitions and which held the soul of France. By providing this data, she ensured the tracks were sabotaged just enough to delay the transport without destroying the irreplaceable cargo.

Then came the Liberation in 1944. The “Monuments Men” – the Allied unit tasked with recovering the art – arrived in Paris. They knew the art was gone, but they had no idea where to start looking in the chaos of the falling Reich.

Rose Valland finally broke her silence. She approached Captain James Rorimer and handed over her maps, her train numbers, and the exact coordinates of the stockpile at Neuschwanstein Castle. Because of her meticulous records, the Allies knew exactly where to go.

She saw their greed, she kept their secrets, and she witnessed their downfall.

Eventually, over 60,000 works of art were repatriated to France, largely due to her secret ledgers. Rose wasn’t just a curator; she was one of the most effective spies of the war. Today, when you look at a masterpiece in a European museum, there is a good chance it hangs there because a quiet woman knew how to listen.

Courage isn’t always a shout; sometimes, it is a whisper.

Valland had a relationship with Joyce Helen Heer (1917–1977), a Liverpool-born secretary-interpreter at the Embassy of the United States. The two women shared an apartment on rue de Navarre in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The relationship ended upon Heer’s death from breast cancer; she was interred in Valland’s family vault.

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.