Happy Birthday to Gary & Christopher – both on 17 July.

 

 

Next meeting

The next meeting for Out In The City is on Wednesday, 22 July from 1.00pm to 3.00pm.

The venue is No 1, Canal Street, Manchester M1 3HE. The intention is to sit outside, weather permitting, but we may sit inside. In order to keep social distancing we will sit at tables of four to six people.

It is essential to contact me so we are aware of numbers attending. Please phone or text or send a message here

 

 

My Story, My Music

Listen to varied stories and music choices from members of Out In The City. These podcasts have been made with the help and support of Sonder Radio. Click here. There are also a few interesting videos.

We are going to make an Out In The City radio show for Pride.

Would you like to be involved in another show to be released in August? Recall your memories of previous Pride events or anecdotes from when you were younger, mixed with LGBT related songs.

Sonder Radio will stick it all together hopefully with lots of mini stories and lots of different voices. Please have a think about this. Any song suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

Mystery photo

I found this photo on my phone but I can’t remember where it was taken …

A protest was held outside Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester on Saturday 11, July from 1.00pm to 3.00pm.

Sparkle – The National Transgender Charity – invited friends, families, loved ones and, most of all, straight and LGB cisgender allies, to call for the protection of the trans and gender diverse community’s human rights, dignity and future.

On 14 June 2020, the Sunday Times reported that, despite 70% of responses to the recent consultation on the reform of the Gender Recognition Act in favour of self-identification, the UK Government plans to roll back the hard-won rights of trans and non-binary people, and enact legislation which would not only impact on their daily lives, but also the lives of everyone who is gender non-conforming.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were out in force to show their support, as were Rainbow Noir. Many people brought banners and placards. There were a lot of home-made ones, my favourite being: “Trans punks smash the cis-tem”.

Parliamentarians demand urgent action to ban LGBT “conversion therapy”

I’ve only just seen this … but on 29 May 2020, Officers of the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) on Global LGBT+ Rights wrote to the Minister for Women and Equalities calling for urgent action to end so-called “conversion therapy”.

Although the UK Government has repeatedly committed to end this abhorrent practice – condemned across the world by medical professionals, human rights experts, and religious leaders – the Officers of the APPG are becoming increasingly concerned by the lack of actual progress since the announcement of the policy to ban this practice almost two years ago.

Liz Truss, the Minister responded immediately:

 

Too much politics? … Here is a bit of fun

I pinched this from Mint Community – hope they don’t mind.

Happy Birthday, Owen on 13th July

Meet up – 8 July 2020

Sixteen of us met at No 1, Canal Street for food, drinks and a really nice afternoon. We had planned to sit outside but it was rather cold, so we moved inside.

We had four tables in order to follow social distancing rules. The procedure is that names and telephone contacts are taken on arrival and table service is provided. There is no queueing at the bar.

There are more photos here

We will meet again at No 1, Canal St, Manchester M1 3HE on Wednesday, 22 July from 1.00pm to 3.00pm … put the date in your diary now!

 

Church House

The Senior Staff at Church House have made the decision that there will be no external meetings held until January 2021 and that will depend on whether a second spike happens.

This news is a real blow to us … but in the meantime we will arrange meetings in pubs and outside when the weather permits.

 

The press release from the LGBT Foundation:

LGBT Foundation Says Goodbye to 5 Richmond Street and Hello to New Possibilities… We have made the bold decision to say goodbye to our Community Centre at 5 Richmond Street in Manchester, as we embark upon another exciting stage of our journey in our 45-year history. This decision, which wasn’t taken lightly, will allow us to invest in further innovation of our vital and lifesaving work, and allow us to further support you our magnificent staff and volunteer team who deliver these services every day of the year. In the last decade, we have evolved significantly as a charity. We have changed our name and our approach to become fully trans and bi inclusive, have expanded our delivery beyond Greater Manchester into other parts of the country, and in the last few months, have successfully shown that services can be delivered remotely. We are extremely proud of our history and legacy in Manchester’s amazing Gay Village, one of the few remaining large LGBT quarters in the UK. We would not be where we are today without our space in the heart of the city, which has allowed many to find a safe refuge and a place where they can truly be themselves, often for the first time in their lives. However, it has become clear that we are outgrowing our current building. Our staff numbers have increased, our volunteer base continues to grow, and the diversity and sheer number of services we offer has expanded. In March, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we decided to take the then difficult decision to move nearly all our services online, a week before the Government announced its lockdown measures. Although this brought its own challenges, we have been overwhelmed by the positive reaction of our communities, our funders and all our stakeholders who have been so supportive. Not only have we been able to support our existing service users we have also been able to support people who would never have been able to come to our physical space, whether for fear of being seen entering an identifiable LGBT space, or simply because public transport was not accessible or affordable to them. Demand for our services continues to increase. Since lockdown many more people are using our services than ever before; more people are calling our helpline each day, with everyone seeking support on coming out, reporting a hate crime, getting support with challenges in their lives or simply reaching out due to isolation. Our staff and volunteers have adapted incredibly to remote working, moving counselling and support group sessions online, posting out HIV testing kits and health resources, developing an online training academy and introducing a new telephone befriending service for the most isolated in our communities. We are immensely proud of their commitment and their tenacity in making this happen so smoothly and so quickly. We know that this has been a very difficult time for many charities, but we have continued to deliver the majority of our services throughout the pandemic and with the needs of LGBT people increasing we know that LGBT Foundation has a vital role to play in the months and years ahead of us. Although some organisations are beginning to return to their offices, no one can have certainty in what happens next. The decision not to renew our current lease, which finished in June, comes after a period of reflection on how we can best serve LGBT people who need us now, and in the future. We want to assure our communities that this does not mean access to LGBT spaces is being lost – quite the opposite, in fact. This is a chance for us to invest in the future and to be there for even more people who need us. We are already exploring how we can expand our remote offer with an online Community Hub that is open to all. This will include engagement and support for those who face digital exclusion, and we are looking at different physical spaces in Manchester’s Gay Village and other locations across Greater Manchester where we can safely deliver face-to-face services.  In fact, it is our intention to take our services to where people live, work and socialise and ensure we reach even more people than ever before. We want to collaborate with new and existing partners to find spaces in other community centres where we can deliver services across Greater Manchester and beyond. We are particularly interested in talking to organisations who want to consider sharing space and partnering with us to deliver services to LGBT people in new and innovative ways in the widest range of geographical locations. At the heart of this decision is our commitment to serving our communities in the best way possible. We want to help more people in crisis, to increase the confidence and wellbeing of LGBT people, and to create a stronger movement for LGBT equality – something that feels even more fragile and precarious at the moment than in the previous five years. If you want to explore possibilities with us, have some space to offer or just want to have a chat about what we will be doing next we would very much welcome you getting in touch with us and joining us in our exciting new chapter. Stay safe and stay in touch, and I look very much to hearing from you, With all very best wishes, Paul Martin OBE Chief Executive

Invisible Women

The story of the lesbian pioneers who formed the Northern branch of the GLF and put women’s rights on the agenda.

Angela and Luchia started the first Gay Liberation Front group in Manchester in 1971, at the same time as moving into the Manchester Women’s Liberation Centre, where they lived for 5 years. This centre was the hub for dozens of WLM groups, including many consciousness raising local groups. It was also the springboard for Manchester Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis, Amazon Women’s Press and the Northern Women’s Liberation Rock Band.

They were also active in starting Lesbian groups and in the fight against Clause 28. Their activism continues to this day, in the area of the rights of and housing for the older LGBTQ+ community, climate change, documenting the stories of other veteran feminists, and generally fighting the good fight, as grumpy old women! Watch the video with this link:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/286899800

 

LGBT Foundation Housing Survey

We have previously posted about the LGBT Housing Survey. So far they have received over 150 responses but they are aiming for double that number by the time it closes on 31^st July. 

They are currently in need of more responses from people of colour and those who identify as bisexual, and on balance a lot more men have replied to the survey so they need more entries from women to balance that out! Click on the link to complete the housing survey

Silver Pride – 25 to 26 July 2020 (online)

This is a virtual event and free to attend – but you can make a donation if you are able (suggested £7.95).

Join Friends of Dorothy, LGBT+ celebrities and friends for the inaugural Silver Pride UK; a culturally diverse and enriching programme of live performances, masterclasses and events to champion social inclusion and ensure elderly LGBT+ people are socially connected, celebrated and recognised for their contributions to culture and society. Everyone welcome!

 

On what would have been the weekend of Pride in London, protesters braved bad weather to honour the UK’s Black transgender community and raise awareness of the heightened rates of violence and prejudice they face.

In Manchester, demonstrators gathered in Piccadilly Gardens, sheltering under umbrellas in the rain as trans activists and allies gave speeches to the crowd.

The London march began at Hyde Park Corner and culminated near the statue of former prime minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

Protesters in both cities carried banners and placards bearing the messages: “Fight police brutality, fight racism!”, “Fight imperialism!” “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “White silence is violence”.

Further protests were held in London on 4 July. The rally erupted into applause during a speech: “We’ve tried asking, but now we must demand our Trans Rights!”

Members of every major political party have now condemned the government’s attack on trans rights. The LGBT+ groups of the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Greens and Alliance parties all issued a joint statement expressing deep concern at the proposal to place unnecessary restrictions on trans people.

The joint statement reads:

“We stand together in our opposition to any proposal to place unnecessary restrictions on trans people, hindering their ability to live freely and without fear. It’s now nearly two years since Theresa May launched the LGBT Action Plan. There was an acknowledgement that trans people faced indignities and prejudice. We all welcomed efforts to reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), to remove the current costly, overcomplicated and bureaucratic process and move towards a self-declaration process – which is used, without issue, in eight countries across the world, including the Republic of Ireland.”

Freebies

Age UK Manchester is partnering with Freesat to provide people living in Manchester with the latest 4K set-top box (value £125 each) absolutely free of charge. It’s able to receive over 180 TV and radio channels, including more than 20 HD channels.

To qualify for a free set-top box, you must:

• have a satellite dish already installed on the property;
• have a TV that is capable of receiving satellite TV (i.e colour TV at least);
• be isolating, shielding or living on your own; and
• be a Manchester resident who is over 65 years old.
  If you meet the above criteria, please contact us here to make arrangements. Stocks are limited and will be donated on a first come, first served basis.

Many thanks to Freesat for their generosity at this challenging time.

We also have three Lenovo tablet computers (value £70 each) absolutely free of charge. These are in Church House, so will only be available when we can gain access, but please let me know if interested.

Happy Birthdays:

1^st July – Paul S & Michael

4^th July – Don

Another meet up

Following our meeting in June in Sackville Park we had an article on the Talking About My Generation website here

They thought it was a great uplifting piece and they shared it with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority Ageing Better team.

The next meeting for Out In The City is on Wednesday, 8 July from 1.00pm to 3.00pm (subject to weather permitting).

The venue is Canal Street (top end between Churchills and Velvet). If you are coming on public transport you need to wear a face covering (scarf or mask). In order to keep social distancing we will meet in groups up to six people. Hopefully, we will be able to sit outside.

It is essential to contact me so we are aware of numbers attending. Please phone or text or send a message here

 

Manchester United

On 23 February 2020, Pauline and Albert were Guests of Honour at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s home game against Watford. Age UK, Cadbury’s and Manchester United decided to have eleven older fans, instead of children, as the mascots to greet the players on the pitch.

As part of a wider campaign to help tackle loneliness amongst older people some lucky Age UK service users and lifelong football fans received some very welcome phone calls from their sporting heroes during lockdown.

Each of the Guests of Honour normally take part in social activities at their local Age UKs, including Age UK Trafford’s men’s cooking class, Age UK Manchester’s Out in The City LGBT group and Age UK Oldham’s volunteering activity.

Pauline and Albert each received a hamper (full of chocolates) with a card signed by United’s manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: “I hope you are keeping well & staying safe. Best wishes from Team Management players and staff at Manchester United & Cadbury”.

 

The Polari Prize 2020

Now in its tenth year, the Polari prize is the UK’s first and largest LGBTQ+ book award. Established to promote writing that explores the LGBTQ+ experience, Polari also focuses on amplifying diverse voices through a series of literary events.

The prize is awarded in two categories Polari Book Prize and Polari First Book Prize – to celebrate emerging and established LGBTQ+ literary talent.

For the list of nominations see here.