The History of the Gay Village |

Contents:

• LTLE BRA’S MATT LUS SAYS ‘ONLY GAY THE VILLAGE’ WAS MEANT TO BE A ‘CELEBRATN’ OF GAY PEOPLE
• A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT
• ONLY GAY THE VILLAGE FN, ONLY GAY THE VILLAGE MEANG | ENGLISH DICTNARY
• GAY VILLAGE
• IS GAY STREET REALLY ‘GAY’?
• GAY VILLAGE ENGLISH DICTNARY
• GAY PRI
• DISVER THE 8 GAY VILLAG OM AROUND THE WORLD
• THE HISTORY OF THE GAY VILLAGE
• WHAT’S A NAME? GAY STREET

LTLE BRA’S MATT LUS SAYS ‘ONLY GAY THE VILLAGE’ WAS MEANT TO BE A ‘CELEBRATN’ OF GAY PEOPLE

Matt says the character was meant to be a ‘celebratn’ of gay people (Picture: Rex Featur, BBC)Comedian and actor Matt Lus has spoken out about his ntroversial Ltle Bra character Dafydd Thomas, better known as ‘the only gay the village’.

A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT

‘I have had people who had ‘you are the only gay the village’ said to them and to was meant to be a celebratn, ’ he told Richard Herrg’s RHLSTP podst. The character is emed offensive by many (Picture: BBC)‘I remember thkg there was a greeds to Ltle Bra and we jt wanted to show off as many characters as possible so we played black, whe, straight, gay, male, female, tall, short, whatever, ’ the 45-year-old told the podst. The heterosexual ontman for the Village People wants you to know the inic song "YMCA" is not about illic gay sex, warng he's gog to sue anyone who suggts otherwise.

"But he should at least do the 'YMCA' dance while he's at for Village People fans everywhere, the print apparently heard Willis's Willis is upset about people thkg his lyrics are about gay sex, he has absolutely no problem wh the song beg somethg more to the LGBTQ+ muny.

ONLY GAY THE VILLAGE FN, ONLY GAY THE VILLAGE MEANG | ENGLISH DICTNARY

Known for s late-night clubs and cheap drks als, the Gay Village is popular wh Manchter partygoers - but there's more gog on behd the scen.

The neighbourhood has weled a gay clientele sce the 1940s, but, by all acunts, ’s only the past twenty years or so that thgs have really started to turn a rner, spe homosexualy beg crimalised 1967. An excerpt om Mancunian Gay magaze 1984 tled ‘Not tonight, Anrton’ tells the story of how one night 20 pla cloth officers stormed to Napoleons and forced everyone attendance to provi their personal rmatn before beg allowed to leave – an cint that was later brand as “an obv se of police victimisatn” a prs release issued by the Gay Centre.

GAY VILLAGE

In spe of this, the first Gay Pub and Club Olympics event (now thought of as the gural Manchter Pri) still went ahead on the Augt Bank Holiday weekend of 1985. Notably, had the support of a new generatn of Labour uncillors elected 1984 – who gave the gay muny their support and appoted Lbian and Gay officers.

IS GAY STREET REALLY ‘GAY’?

Inspired by Ken Livgstone‘s early days on the Greater London Council, those new uncillors created an Equal Opportuni Commtee and appoted Maggie Turner and Pl Fairweather what would prove a landmark move for gay rights the north of England.

1986 saw thgs gradually improve for the muny, as uncillors’ ‘put their arms around’ the gay muny, welg a Northern Pri event 1986 and ntributg public funds towards the celebratns. As the ’80s ntued, Manchter’s fight for gay rights ntued wh the Sectn 28 march 1988 actg as a huge turng pot as the Thatcher ernment’s dranian legislatn brought people out onto the streets to prott their drov. Still, wasn’t until the early neti that the Gay Village weled s first openly-gay bar and even then police raids the area ntued right up to 1994.

GAY VILLAGE ENGLISH DICTNARY

The battl agast stutnal homophobia were still beg fought, clearly, and some ntued to ll the Canal Street area ‘Satan’s Square Mile’ – but the openg of new nightclubs like Cz 101 and semal events Electric Chair and Poptastic saw the muny phg back.

GAY PRI

Repurposed at the end of the Indtrial Revolutn to a gay quarter that has sce bee one of the most famo the world, Manchter has a lot of thgs to be proud of – and the village is fely up there wh the bt. Habha – A hidn foodie gem the heart of the gay village, the Ethpian rtrant Habha ss above a pretty n-of-the-l takeaway and is que easy to miss.

DISVER THE 8 GAY VILLAG OM AROUND THE WORLD

Napoleons – The olst gay pub the neighbourhood, Napoleon’s dat all the way back to 1941 and provis a safe space for trans people, crossdrsers and drag queens.

THE HISTORY OF THE GAY VILLAGE

Cz 101 – This gay nightclub an old textile warehoe is ready to party seven days a week, wh a range of different nights playg everythg om cuttg-edge hoe to mercial floor-fillers and 80s, 90s and 00s classics.

New York New York – From cktails the glam Queens Bar, to live baret, DJ sets and dancg ’til late the club, ‘Party Palace’ NYNY is open to party seven nights a week A safe, iendly, welg space for all, ’s sat the heart of the Gay Village for over thirty years.

Osrs – This timate, theatre-style gay bar shows film clips om a mix of classic and morn mils and offers live mic om sgers and pianists on selected nights.

WHAT’S A NAME? GAY STREET

G-A-Y – A lbian and gay club known for blastg out the pop tun to the early hours, G-A-Y is one of the big fol pots of Canal Street and really is somewhere you n’t avoid endg up if you’re on a night out there. The home of Manchter Pri sce 1985, every year visors flock to the Gay Village their thoands to party the streets and celebrate love all s forms across the Augt Bank Holiday weekend. From The Bean of Hope, a symbol of solidary and memorial to everyone lost to HIV that was first nceived 1997, to the 2001 bronze statue of Manchter putg legend and gay in Alan Turg, head over to Sackville Garns to get your culture and nature fix one.