Salford Lads and Girls Club

First of all, let’s get this straight: The building is called “Salford Lads Club”, but the charity is called “Salford Lads and Girls Club”. They provide a wide range of activities for local young people.

Salford Lads Club was established as a purpose built club for boys. The site was officially opened on 24 August 1903 as a club for working lads, providing a positive alternative to the teenage street gangs (known as “scuttlers”) in the poorest areas of the city.

The club has continued to provide this facility for more than 100 years and is now considered to be the finest example of a pre First World War club surviving and operating today.

Founded by the Groves brothers of the Groves & Whitnall brewing empire, the current club president and Chair of Trustees, Anthony Groves, is the great grandson of James Grimble Groves!

The club is now open to girls and boys.

While nearly all other original working class lads club buildings are long gone, along with their records, the continuity of Salford Lads Club in 2023 makes it very special for generations of families. They still have all their membership cards since their foundation, and in 2015 they created a remarkable “Wall of Names” to share over 22,500 members’ names dating back to 1903.

There are a few famous names among the archive boxes: Eddie Colman, the young Manchester United star player who died in the 1958 Munich Air Disaster; Allan Clarke and Graham Nash who went on to form 1960’s pop group The Hollies; and “Mr Muscle” – Tony Holland of ‘Opportunity Knocks’ fame in the 1960s.

The club has also been the site of pilgrimage for fans of The Smiths after Stephen Wright’s iconic photo of the band was used on the inner sleeve of ‘The Queen is Dead’ album in 1986. In 2004, the club opened a dedicated Smiths room where fan photos are displayed alongside post-it messages. The club continues to welcome visitors weekly – from Indonesia to Mexico, Israel to Australia, much of Europe, Canada, America and South America.

The club’s original motto is: “to brighten young lives and make good citizens.”

More photos can be seen here.

Hate crimes against LGBT+ people

The Westminster Hall Debate “Hate Crimes against the LGBT+ community” was held on Wednesday, 18 October at 4.30pm.

There was a call for a national action plan to deal with rising homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic hate crimes, and for all members of Government and Parliament to stop legitimising hatred against trans people with fear-mongering rhetoric.

New statistics released by the Home Office this month show a continued rise in hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in England and Wales. 

• Hate crimes against trans people in England and Wales have risen by 11% in a year, and by 186% in the last five years 
• Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation in England and Wales are up by 112% in the last five years, despite this year’s slight decrease of 6%
• The Government’s own National LGBT Survey showed fewer than one in ten LGBT+ people report hate crimes or incidents. Only 37% of those who experienced an anti-LGBT+ hate crime involving physical harassment or violence reported it.

These findings come as a manufactured culture war spreads divisive rhetoric and misinformation in our politics and media, that is legitimising hatred against the LGBT+ community, and trans people in particular.

Earlier this month we saw Government Ministers using their platform not to encourage respect, but rather to posture policies designed to drum up “culture war” and “anti-woke” political noise by attacking trans people. In fact, the Home Office’s own release pointed to the increase in discussion of trans issues by politicians, in the media, and online, as a potential contributing factor to the increase in reported hate crimes.

The statistics show the impact of this rising hateful narrative – real violence, harassment, and abuse of LGBT+ people up and down this country.

National Hate Crime Awareness Week is 14 – 21 October 2023. We expect our Members of Parliament to call out the rising hate faced by an already vulnerable community, and to show that they stand against ongoing attempts to turn political debates into an offensive and dangerous attack on our rights and existence.

Get Online Week 2023

This week we will be celebrating Get Online Week (16 – 23 October 2023) – a week dedicated to helping people get online safely, confidently and affordably.

Manchester Adult Education Services offers free digital skills courses such as Digital Skills for Beginners, Essential Digital Skills, Microsoft for Work and Being Cyber Safe – all developed to build your confidence in both home and workplace settings and keep you safe online. 

If you don’t want to apply for a course but would like some advice on accessing services online, how to use a particular device or search for information quickly, why not attend one of the Skill Up Workshops? These casual, no commitment drop-in sessions are perfect for support and a place where no question is too small.

Skill Up Workshop timetable:

• Abraham Moss Adult Learning Centre: Thursdays from 9:30am – 11:45am
• Fallowfield Library: Thursdays from 1:00pm – 3:00pm
• Wythenshawe Forum: Wednesdays from 9:30am – 11:45am
• Greenheys Adult Learning Centre: Tuesdays from 9:30am – 11:45am
• Gorton Hub: Tuesdays from 12:30pm – 2:45pm
• Longsight Library and Adult Learning Centre: Mondays from 9:30am – 11:45am
• The Avenue: Fridays from 9:30am – 11:45am
• Withington Adult Learning Centre: Wednesdays from 12:30pm – 2:45pm.

“Molly” men flocked to these secret 18th-century gay clubs to mingle, have sex and mock straight people

Until the repeal of the Buggery Act in 1861, gay sex was a capital offence. However, even during the extremely hostile environment before the repeal, “Molly Houses”, often coffee houses, pubs or taverns, were created where people could meet and socialise.

Named after the slang term “molly”, which was usually used to refer to effeminate, homosexual men, Molly Houses quickly became the go-to meeting place for gay men in 18^th century.

In court records from a buggery trial in 1724, a policeman named Joseph Sellers who visited a Molly House reported seeing “a company of men fiddling and dancing and singing bawdy songs, kissing and using their hands in a very unseemly manner.”

What is clear from reports at the time, typically from testimonies given in court cases, are the mock rituals the Mollies would perform: from adopting a female persona, alongside a feminine name and mannerisms, to cross-dressing on Festival Nights and conducting mock births and marriages.

Many of the sexual encounters and rituals were comedic in nature and were aimed at making a masquerade of straight conventions and parodying aristocratic manners.

“They were a forum for comedy and performance, where the whole idea of what’s true and natural gets called into question,” explains Matt Cook, the UK’s first Professor of LGBTQ+ History at the University of Oxford. “They served an important function for people to play with convention, ritual and to explore, have sex and socialise.”

The rise and fall of Mother Clap’s Molly House

Found on Field Lane in Holborn, central London, Mother Clap’s Molly House was arguably the most well-known and infamous molly house in 18^th century London. Run by Margaret “Mother” Clap, this venue regularly accommodated dozens of men with beds being placed in all the rooms, thanks to Mother Clap.

The popularity of Mother Clap’s would ultimately prove to be its downfall, with a member of the puritan Society for the Reformation of Manners, Samuel Stevens, going undercover at the club to expose the patrons. 

After visiting Mother Clap’s on 14 November 1725, Stevens said he saw men making love to one another and kissing in a lewd manner. “Then they would get up, dance and make curtsies, and mimick the voices of women. Then they’d hug, and play, and toy, and go out by couples into another room on the same floor, to be marry’d, as they call’d it.”

Police constables descended upon Mother Clap’s in February 1726, blocking all exits and arresting forty men. While most were released due to a lack of evidence, Mother Clap herself and a handful of customers received fines and prison sentences and were put in the pillory.

Three guests, Gabriel Lawrence, William Griffin, and Thomas Wright, were found guilty of buggery and hanged on 9 May 1726.

The limits of inclusion

A handful of other Molly Houses have been identified in London and other cities, including Plump Nelly’s Molly House in London’s Smithfield and a public house on the edge of Warrington, near Manchester.

There is no question that the legal climate at the time when Molly Houses existed was deeply repressive towards men who had sex with men. Yet, for Cook, the lack of a distinct homosexual identity during the 18th and 19th centuries makes it a challenge for historians today to say exactly what motivated Molly House patrons.

“There was still a sense of it being an act rather than an identity. We don’t know really what the people who went to the Molly Houses were thinking of themselves,” he explains.

While there are mentions of upper-class men visiting, or slumming it, in Molly Houses, Cook warns against viewing Molly Houses as utopian environments, where class differences in 18th century England simply disappeared.

“If you just look at who was arrested and prosecuted, there are no upper-class men there. I think it’s a mistake to think of them as kind of all-inclusive spaces – I don’t think they functioned like that at all.”

Relying on unreliable storytellers

Despite only being open from 1724 to 1726, Mother Clap’s Molly House and its eccentric owner managed to create a sanctuary in a deeply repressive society. Even its raid and subsequent arrests helped provide historians today with unrivalled insights about gay life in England centuries ago.

The vast majority of primary sources about the Molly Houses are related to court cases or pamphlets distributed at the time. Much of the historical record comes directly from people who infiltrated Molly Houses undercover and then testified in court against customers.

“Often the only times when marginalised lives get reported on is when the law gets involved,” says English playwright Mark Ravenhill, who wrote the 2001 play, Mother Clap’s Molly House, set in part in 1720s London. “The facts available to us have been slightly distorted because they’re all from the prosecution, who are trying to shut down the houses.”

The growth of Molly Houses from around 1690 to 1726, and the following crackdown, interested Ravenhill and led him to set his play in the 1720s.

“After reading the material, I just thought it’s such a fascinating history. But there also seemed to be a very inherent theatrical element to the stories – I could easily see them on a big stage with lots of costume, music and dancing.”

Despite the immense importance these places had in allowing gay people to be themselves and in the process create a distinct subculture, their existence is still not widely known. “People still on the whole haven’t heard about these places,” concludes Ravenhill. “As soon as you start to tell them about that culture, it just blows their mind and they want to know more about Molly Houses.”

The Brixton Umbrella Circle

Brixton Umbrella Circle is a mixed group of older LGBTQ people from all walks of life. Most are retired, long term ill, some still working. Some of us are old activists from Gay Liberation Front, Brixton Faeries, Lesbians & Gays Support the Miners, Greenham Peace Camp, Stop Section 28 or Pride. But most are people who have lived ordinary discreet, sometimes hidden lives.

We have no official membership, no bank account, no rules or structure. Just an email distribution list and regular emails saying where, when and what we are doing. No booking, just turn up. We mark our presence with our little umbrella table cover so newcomers can spot us. This is what we say on our Facebook page and every email:

Brixton Umbrella Circle is an independent, peer led, self help group for older (50+) LGBTQ’s. It offers a forum for mutual support, socialising and addressing individual and collective experiences (past and current) in a social, cultural and political context.

Umbrellas provide shelter and is used as a term for covering all – and because our hearts and minds can be like umbrellas – useless if we do not open them. For more information, please see:

http://www.Facebook.com/brixtonumbrellacircle

In this video Ted Brown, Clare Truscott & Ian Townson from Brixton Umbrella Circle are making presentations on radical queer history at the Outsiders Conference at the University of Sussex on 11 June 2023.

Man faced homophobic abuse in London care home, partner says

A man experienced homophobic abuse in a care home that left him with bruising on his body and an apparent cigarette burn on his hand, his partner has said, as he said people were being pushed “back into the closet” when at their most vulnerable.

Ted Brown said his civil partner, the LGBT activist Noel Glynn, who died in 2021, was beaten, taunted and mistreated by care home staff. He said they also refused to recognise their relationship – referring to Brown as Glynn’s “friend” or “father”.

Brown said two whistleblowers came forward to confirm his suspicions that Glynn had been attacked by staff at Albany Lodge nursing home in Croydon, south London, because of his sexuality after he was “outed as a gay man”.

The whistleblowers claimed that, on one occasion when Glynn was walking through the home with two other residents, two staff members approached him and asked: “Are you a gay man? Do you like gay men?”

He was then allegedly dragged into his room and other residents heard a “disturbance going on and Noel’s voice”, Brown said. The care home suspended the suspected staff members for two weeks, but Brown said they returned to the home “on another floor”.

In January 2019, Glynn told a social worker: “I don’t like it here, they beat me up.” The police took no action after Brown reported the suspected abuse. The social worker said Albany Lodge was “not suitable” and recommended that he be moved. But Glynn was left in the home for nine more months.

Brown had initially become concerned about Glynn’s wellbeing when he found out he had tried to leave the home four times.

He brought a civil case against Lambeth council on behalf of Glynn, who had dementia. In a proposed settlement, the council admitted Glynn’s placement there from December 2018 to October 2019 was “not in his best interests” and offered to pay £30,000 compensation. Brown accepted the offer but no payment has yet been received.

Brown was able to act on his partner’s behalf after being granted power of attorney and being made a litigation friend, giving him rights over his partner’s health and finances. As part of his responsibilities towards Glynn, Brown paid £1,400 a month towards his care at the home. “I was paying to basically have Noel beaten up,” he said.

Glynn, a former teacher and activist, died in the early hours of 31 December 2021 after he fell and fractured his ribs.

Brown joined the Gay Liberation Front when he was 20 and, in 1972, helped organise the first Pride event in the UK, where the two met. He said older LGBT people were being forced “back into the closet” because of fears of how they would be treated in care homes.

“Several of us fought to get the rights that we’ve got now and, as we get older, we have the frightening reality that we have to go back into the closet if we go into a care home.”

Homophobic abuse in such settings is on the rise, according to Eileen Chubb, a former care worker and whistleblower at Compassion in Care, which campaigns to end abusive treatment in homes.

She said the charity had received 423 reports of homophobic abuse in care homes across the UK and Chubb said this was “just the tip of the iceberg”.

She said: “It shocked us that, in this day and age, this kind of thing could be happening. But it is a massive problem in the care system. People have had bibles put in their rooms because staff think they need to repent before they die … these views aren’t compatible with care.”

A Lambeth council spokesperson said: “The council took responsibility for Mr Glynn in 2018 after he was placed in a care setting in Croydon following a spell in hospital. When allegations of abuse were made, the council fully investigated and shared the outcome with the police for follow-up action.

“In agreement with Mr Glynn, the council supported his move to more suitable accommodation in 2019.

“We are unable to comment further on this case due to ongoing legal action, but recognise there is a wider systemic issue of homophobic discrimination within the UK care system which locally Lambeth council is working hard to address.”

A spokesperson from Future Care Group, which owns Albany Lodge, said: “London Residential Healthcare worked closely with the authorities in an investigation relating to Mr Glynn, which was closed at the time with recommendations that have been implemented.

The health and wellbeing of our residents has always been our greatest priority and, in line with our values, we have mandatory diversity and equality training for all staff.”

Compassion in Care can be contacted via its confidential helpline on 07763 066063.

The inaugural meeting of a new Rainbow Group:

Jeeves and Wooster

Bolton is less than twenty minutes away from Manchester by train, and Bolton Interchange links up the train station with the bus station. When you come out of the Interchange the first building you see is the Olympus Fish & Chip Bar, where we had a very enjoyable lunch.

Despite the rain, golly gosh we couldn’t wait to be welcomed by the Octagon Theatre for an afternoon of very silly nonsense in Jeeves and Wooster In Perfect Nonsense!

Yes, the iconic duo, Jeeves & Wooster have arrived in Bolton to put on a splendid afternoon of theatre.

A brilliantly talented cast of just three perform Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, an absolutely glorious masterpiece in farcical storytelling.

From the character names to the absurd plot (which it was impossible to keep up with), the audience cannot help but laugh out loud at this perfectly silly but hugely enjoyable comedy, in which the audience show their huge appreciation for the actors as they change character, become two characters in one ­- yes bizarre but brilliant.

The plot centres around the charming Bertie Wooster, who has a tale to tell from playing matchmaker between his newt-fancying acquaintance and the girl of his dreams. Bertie must also secure an elusive silver cow-creamer for his formidable Aunt Dahlia.

Yes, absolutely perfect nonsense but superbly performed by Luke Barton as Bertie, Alistair Cope as Seppings and Patrick Warner as Jeeves.

Warner’s portrayal of reliable and ever so patient Jeeves is perfect and his hilarious performance as Victor and Victoria – at the same time – is a show stealer and earns him a round of applause from the audience.

The trio’s comic timing is spot on and the character depictions were a riot – It was a fast paced and dazzlingly inventive comedy with so many twists, turns and mishaps.

It was incredibly silly but hugely entertaining.

Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The theme this year is Saluting our Sisters. Black History Month 2023 is a landmark occasion to recognise and applaud the invaluable contributions of black women to British society, inspire future generations, and empower them.

Here are some stories about a black lesbian, black bisexual woman and a black gay man, that are possibly lesser known:

Ruth Ellis (1899 – 2000)

“I was always out of the closet. I didn’t have to come out.”

– Ruth Ellis

Ruth Ellis was born in Springfield, Illinois to parents who were conceived in the last years of slavery. Her life spanned through moments of great turmoil and upheaval – from the Springfield Riot of 1908 to the Detroit Riots of 1967 – an endless backdrop of conflict from which Ellis managed to extract an exuberance for life that was incandescent.

She came out as a lesbian at the age of 16, and got a high school diploma at a time when fewer than seven percent of African Americans graduated from secondary school. In 1936 she met her partner of 34 years, Ceciline “Babe” Franklin, with whom she moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1937.

Ellis became the first African American woman to own an off-set printing business in that city. Her success as an entrepreneur from 1946 to 1971 inspired the couple to turn the home they shared into the “Gay Spot” – a place where young gays and lesbians, who were denied access to both white gay clubs and black straight clubs – could congregate and enjoy a welcoming night club atmosphere decades before the Black Civil Rights Movement and the Stonewall Riot would begin to alter their outlook and options.

Ellis became a fierce advocate for African Americans, senior citizens and the gay and lesbian communities. She offered assistance to lesbians of colour researching their history and their roots; she proposed a variation on Big Brothers / Big Sisters, where younger gays and lesbians would be matched as social companions with gay and lesbian seniors according to similar interests; and the Ruth Ellis Centre, founded in 1999, continues to provide shelter and aid for LGBTQ youth in Detroit.

Her extraordinary life was chronicled in the acclaimed documentary Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100 (1999) and the city of Detroit recognises her contributions every February, during Black History Month (in US), by celebrating Ruth Ellis Day. She died in her sleep at her home on 5 October 2000, at the age of 101.

Bessie Smith (1894 – 1937)

“No time to marry, no time to settle down; I’m a young woman, and I ain’t done runnin’ around.”

– Bessie Smith

Born into poverty in Tennessee, Elizabeth Smith lost both her parents at an early age. At 8 she began performing, earning money by singing on the streets of Chattanooga. By 1912 she had joined a travelling vaudeville troupe and was taken under the wing of blues legend (and possible lover) Gertrude Ma Rainey.

With her powerful voice and audience rapport, Smith rapidly became a huge tent show star. In the early 1920s she starred in the musical “How Come?” which went to Broadway. Soon she was known as The Empress of The Blues, the biggest headliner of the black Theatre Owners Booking Association, and the nation’s highest paid black entertainer.

Smith was already widowed from her first husband when she married her second, Jack Gee, but her open bisexuality prompted him to leave her. In 1923 she started recording for Columbia Records, the first of her 160 tracks for the label was “Downhearted Blues.” By then she was touring in her own double-decker train carriage which also provided housing when she and her chorus line could not find hotels that would accommodate black people.

She appeared in the film “St Louis Blues” (1929) and when her Columbia contract ended two years later, she recorded briefly with John Hammond. In 1937 Smith was seriously injured in an automobile accident and had to wait 7 hours before an ambulance would take her to the hospital, where she died of her injuries. Her estranged husband refused to pay for a headstone. 30 years later bisexual Rock and Roll singer Janis Joplin finally bought Smith the memorial she deserved.

Wallace Thurman (1902 – 1934)

“Being a Negro writer these days is a racket and I’m going to make the most of it while it lasts. About twice a year I sell a story. It is acclaimed. I am a genius in the making. Thank God for this Negro literary renaissance. Long may it flourish.”

– Wallace Thurman

Wallace Thurman was born in Salt Lake City. During his troubled and unstable childhood, he found solace in reading and wrote his first novel at 10.

He began as a pre-med student at the University of Utah, but transferred to USC in Los Angeles. Instead of earning his degree, he left academia to become a reporter and columnist for a black owned newspaper. He began the magazine “Outlet,” which was intended to be the West Coast equivalent of the NAACP’s “Crisis” periodical.

In 1925 Thurman moved to New York and became an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance – a broad cultural movement of African American artists, singers, writers and performers who had migrated to New York. There he worked as an editor and publisher, while writing plays, novels, and essays as well.

In 1926 he became editor of “The Messenger,” a socialist journal for black people, where he was the first to publish the adult-themed stories of Langston Hughes. That same year he collaborated in founding the literary magazine “Fire!” which challenged the notion that black art should be a form of propaganda for white approval, claiming instead that black art should reveal the reality of African American life.

Thurman’s apartment at 267 West 136th Street, its walls adorned with Richard Bruce Nugent’s homoerotic murals, became the cultural meeting place of this new black artistic movement. In 1928 Thurman edited the magazine “Harlem: A Forum of Negro Life.”

That same year he married Louise Thompson, who soon sought a divorce claiming Thurman was a closeted homosexual and their union incompatible. Thurman, the first African-American reader for a major publishing house, is best known for his work The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life (1929) which explored discrimination based on skin tone within the black community. Later that year his play, “Harlem,” debuted on Broadway. Thurman died in 1934 from tuberculosis exacerbated by alcoholism.

National Coming Out Day

It was National Coming Out Day on 11 October.

Spirit of Manchester Awards 2023!

The Spirit of Manchester 2023 Awards ceremony took place on Thursday 5 October, and was also livestreamed on YouTube! 

Under various categories Manchester’s voluntary, community and social enterprise sector were shortlisted and a film showed the brilliant work they did.

On our smart phones we voted for the organisation we would like to win an award. The votes were counted straight away and the award presented by the Lord Mayor of Manchester.

The Derek Jarman Pocket Park with Pride in Ageing and the LGBT Foundation were one of the shortlisted projects. Tables were named after LGBT+ Mancunians to honour the LGBT+ communities in Manchester.

RNCM Piano Ensemble

The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, and is one of the UK’s busiest and most diverse public performance venues.

Out In The City members attended a Thursday lunch time concert – a riveting performance of John Psathas’ Voices at the End with six pianos.

It was a spectacular live performance fusing video, and recorded sound for a musical exploration about human civilisation and our relationship with the natural world. Pianist Dawn Hardwick performed side-by-side with staff and student pianists to bring this incredible work to life.

National Coming Out Day

Wednesday, 11 October is National Coming Out Day. Be proud of who you are and your support for LGBT+ equality.

Sharing our authentic selves with others is not always safe or easy, and is not a one-day event – but when possible, it can be an extraordinarily powerful key to breaking down the barriers we face as LGBT+ people.

History of National Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Day was founded on 11 October 1988, by Robert Eichberg, a psychologist, and Jean O’Leary, an LGBT+ rights activist. It commemorates the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in 1987.

The day was established to promote visibility and acceptance for LGBT+ individuals and to encourage a more inclusive society.

Since its inception, National Coming Out Day has become an internationally recognised event, fostering a culture of acceptance and support for LGBT+ individuals.

In a world that often marginalises and excludes the LGBT+ community, attempting to diminish our worth and undermine our fabulousness, this Day feels more important now than ever. 

It serves as a powerful reminder that we have always been here and we will continue to exist proudly and unapologetically no matter the voices that try and silence us. We are here to stay. 

Right now, queer identities are being policed, politicised, debated and in the most extreme cases even murdered. 

We need justice for Brianna Ghey, a 16-year-old transgender girl who was stabbed to death in Culcheth, near Warrington. Her entire life was taken away from her through hate.

At a time where people believe our existence to be a threat, to live your life authentically no matter the consequences, is the most courageous act you can do.

We won’t allow closets, repression and discrimination to be the norms in our life. Our community continues to stay resilient. We are still coming together, celebrating ourselves and advocating for our rights. We are not going anywhere.

Yabba Dabba Doo …

We’ll have a gay old time
The Flintstones
Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
They’re the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock
They’re a page right out of history …

Pride in Ageing

Since 2019 the Pride in Ageing programme at LGBT Foundation has been delivering a range of initiatives and opportunities for our LGBTQ+ communities who are over 50 and are living in Greater Manchester.

Watch the video here:

The Pride in Ageing Programme has been nominated for the Spirit of Manchester Award based on the fantastic work it has been doing with the Derek Jarman Pocket Park at Manchester Art Gallery.

Join us online for the Spirit of Manchester 2023 Awards!

The Spirit of Manchester 2023 Awards ceremony is taking place on Thursday 5 October. So even if you won’t be at the face to face event you can get involved and vote for the winners by joining in on the livestream on YouTube! 

You can watch live all the shortlisted films showing the brilliant work in Manchester’s voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and vote for who you would like to win an Award. The votes will be counted straight away and the Award presented by the Lord Mayor of Manchester.

We will be streaming live on YouTube at 7.00pm – so come and watch us online!

Collages and Teapots

Tying in with the International Day of Older Persons, which recognises and celebrates the positive contributions of older people in society, we spent an afternoon making collages:

Time for Tea

The work displayed in this exhibition was the result of an Arts for Good Health course celebrating LGBT+ history and inclusivity.

Participants involved in the project  used image, shape, colour and texture to design their own individual teapot, inspired by stories, memories and LGBT+ heroes, culture and history from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Each teapot exhibited tells its own unique story. As well as the amazing work the exhibition is also an example of the power of connecting through creativity and sharing our stories and memories with a good helping of sparkle and glitter.

Saints Sergius and Bacchus (martyred circa 303)

Saints Sergius and Bacchus are ancient Christian martyrs who were tortured to death in Syria because they refused to attend sacrifices in honour of Jupiter.

Recent attention to early Greek manuscripts has also revealed that they were openly gay men and that they were lovers. These manuscripts are found in various libraries and indicate an earlier Christian attitude toward homosexuality.

After their arrest, the two saints were paraded through city streets in women’s clothing, treatment that was meant to humiliate them as officers in the Roman army. They were then separated and each was tortured. Bacchus died first and appeared that night to Sergius, who was beginning to lose heart. According to the early manuscripts, Bacchus told Sergius to preserve, that the delights of heaven were greater than any suffering, and that part of their reward would be to be re-united in heaven as lovers.

The feast of these saints is 7 October. The inscription at the bottom of the icon is their names in Arabic. The saints are particularly popular throughout the Mediterranean lands, in Latin America, and among the Slavs. For nearly a thousand years they were the official patrons of the Byzantine armies, and Arab nomads continue to revere them as their special patron saints.

LGBT+ Elders Advancing Project Interim Report Highlights Needs of LGBT+ Older Adults Worldwide

Around the world, LGBT+ older adults experience rampant human rights violations based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and the stigma of ageism. 

While the specifics of LGBT+ ageing vary from country to country and region to region, older members of the LGBT+ community commonly face widespread discrimination in care, services, and housing and are at acute risk for severe social isolation and economic insecurity.

Created in partnership with SAGE (US), OutRight International (US), Mitini (Nepal), EnGendeRights (the Philippines), CIPAC (Costa Rica) and Aspidh (El Salvador) the LGBTI Elders Advancing Initiative (LEAP) is a cross-regional initiative designed to strengthen the human rights protections of LGBT+ older adults and build a more robust and well-connected global LGBT+ ageing movement.

The initiative is informed by three main objectives:

• Build awareness of LGBT+ older adults and their needs through country-based data collection, documentation and dissemination of information to targeted audiences.
• Improve the ability of LGBT+ organisations to work in support of LGBT+ older adults and position LGBT+ older adults as self-advocates.
• Support discrimination protections and health equity for LGBT+ older adults through national policy reform agendas.

“Our LGBTQ+ elders have shared that being part of this initiative has encouraged them to build more social support networks and start speaking openly about their shared experiences of ageing,” said representatives from CIPAC. “Not only are our older adults growing in their ability to advocate for their own needs, but they are also building friendship, solidarity, and trust among their peers. For a population that faces extreme isolation and loneliness, this kinship has been lifesaving.”

Download the interim report summary here.

Get ready for a hair-raising experience like no other as the infamous Sweeney Todd comes to the stage at the Waterside Theatre! This gripping and darkly humorous musical, directed by a renowned team, promises to captivate audiences from start to finish.

Step into the shadowy streets of 19th-century London, where the vengeful Sweeney Todd, a once-respected barber, seeks retribution for the wrongs done to him and his family. With his trusty razor in hand, he embarks on a chilling spree of slicing throats and baking the victims into meat pies, alongside his cunning accomplice, Mrs Lovett.

Prepare to be enthralled by the powerful performances, spine-tingling music, and evocative set designs that bring Victorian London to life. Stephen Sondheim’s haunting melodies, including classics like “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” and “A Little Priest,” will send shivers down your spine and linger in your mind long after the curtains close.

This must-see production boasts a talented cast of seasoned actors, who will transport you into the twisted world of Sweeney Todd and his quest for justice. With its mix of macabre humour, suspenseful storytelling, and unforgettable tunes, this musical is a theatrical experience that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Running from 17 to 21 October 2023. Book your tickets today and immerse yourself in the dark allure of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street!