The Gay Centre – Manchter, 49-51 Sidney Street (2 reviews and addrs)

Contents:

• THE GAY CENTRE
• GAY VILLAGE
• MISTERS SET TO APOLOGISE TO LGBTQ+ PERSONNEL KICKED OUT OF THE ARMED FORC FOR BEG GAY
• BT GAY HOTELS MANCHTER
• A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT
• THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER
• THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER

THE GAY CENTRE

The Centre works wh many Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans* groups and dividuals Manchter and om further afield. Manchter has a rich and fascatg LGBT+ History and so do The Proud is how we got here…1970sThe place nsired the first “Gay Centre” Manchter was a 700 square foot basement at 178 Waterloo Place on Oxford Road which was occupied by a group known as Manchter Gay Alliance.

1981The basement of 61A Bloom Street beme the new home for the Gay Centre.

GAY VILLAGE

From 1981 to 1988 acmodated a huge host of servic wh several phone l cludg Lbian Lk, Manchter Gay Swchboard and Friend, as well as havg meetg rooms.

Dpe LGBTphobic opposn, the Planng Commtee approved the proposals for a Gay Centre on Sidney Street on 24th Augt 1987. Even wh enomic difficulti facg the cy, uncillors ntued to support the buildg of the Centre1988Durg 1988, a natnal mpaign agast Sectn 28 took place and was headquartered at the Gay Centre on Bloom Street. Constctn work began on the Gay Centre on Sidney Street around the same time as Sectn 28 beme law.

2000In 2000 and wh chang fundg, Manchter Gay Swchboard moved out of the Centre and along wh Healthy Gay Manchter formed the LGF (Lbian and Gay foundatn) Council fund the LCP- Lbian Communy Project (prevly known as Lbian Lk) as the anisatn rponsible for managg the service at the Centre.

MISTERS SET TO APOLOGISE TO LGBTQ+ PERSONNEL KICKED OUT OF THE ARMED FORC FOR BEG GAY

The place rmally known as ‘The Gay Centre’ should not be nfed wh the LGF the Cy Centre. The ‘Gay Centre’ has loads of different groups, for young men, young women, trans people, olr lbians, disabled LGBT people and many more. If you want somethg ‘gay’ to do whout headg down Canal Street, try your luck here.

The answer took four months of archival rearch, knee ep 80s gay magaz and patchy uncil meetg mut and rerds. I unearthed an trigug story of how Manchter (potentially) beme the first place Europe to have an entirely publicly fund, purpose built centre for the gay muny.

1970s: The First Manchter Gay Centre. The place nsired the first “gay centre” Manchter was a small dank 700 sq ft basement on Oxford Road occupied by a group known as Manchter Gay Alliance. The Alliance nsisted of Manchter Lbians Group, the TV/TS [Transvt / Transsexuals] group, the Universy gay soc [the Homophile Society], the Campaign for Homosexual Equaly (CHE) group, and Friend.

BT GAY HOTELS MANCHTER

The gay centre’s first annual report (1978/9) set out the ratnale for the centre and the need for alternative premis as their current space was damp, cramped, and, lerally, unrground. 1981- 1988: The Send Manchter Gay Centre…. In 1981, yet another basement, at 61A Bloom Street, beme the new home of the Gay Centre.

It provid several phone l cludg Lbian Lk, Manchter Gay Swchboard, and Friend as well as meetg rooms. Gay Life, July 1987.

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

Should rema wh the prumed safety of the gay area of Canal Street or relote somewhere more ntral and anonymo. Gay Life, Jan 1987.

The Gay Centre obvly had no ia they would face such opposn as the steerg group sent only 2 volunteers to attend the planng mtee! It is important to place the fundg and buildg of the centre a natnal ntext: June 1987, Gay Life reported that a ltle publicised bill had passed through Parliament.

2A – (1) A lol thory shall not – (a) tentnally promote homosexualy or publish material wh the tentn of promotg homosexualy; (b) promote the teachg any mataed school of the acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship;. The Conservative ernment troduced the amendment at a time when was alleged that some Labour lol thori were spendg money on actively promotg homosexualy over heterosexualy. Durg 1988 a natnal mpaign agast the bill took place and was headquartered at the Gay Centre on Bloom Street.

THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER

It was anised by The Northwt Campaign for Lbian and Gay Equaly and culmated Albert Square outsi the town hall.

This natnal ntext mak the cisns of Manchter Cy Council to ntue to fund a purpose-signed buildg for the gay muny at this time all the more fantastic.

Havg already approved grants to build a new gay centre, that September an applitn to crease the re fundg for the servic was refed.

THE 10 BEST MANCHTER GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MANCHTER

Archiv+ llectns of Mancunian Gay, Gay Life, Scene Out and archiv of Manchter Parents Groups, other tnal sourc which were archived by Sylvia Köllg. In particular Hannah Berry’s chapter, ‘Centre to the Gay Centre of the Universe’.