Today, Manchter's Gay Village is a verable party district. Take om someone who lived above one of s bit nightclubs.
Contents:
- A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT
- THE GAY VILLAGE SHOP UNR SIEGE OM MOTORBIKE THUGS - AND THE FEAR THAT THEY HAVE FUELLED
- GAY VILLAGE SHOP CLONEZONE ‘LOST FOR WORDS’ AFTER FOURTH ATTACK
- GAY VILLAGE
- AREA: GAY VILLAGE / HURST ST
- LGBTQ VENU ACCED OF EXTREME RACISM UK’S ‘GAY CAPAL OF THE NORTH’
A MANC’S GUI TO: THE GAY VILLAGE, MORE THAN JT A LATE-NIGHT PARTY DISTRICT
* gay village shop *
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. Today, Manchter’s Gay Village is a verable party district.
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.
THE GAY VILLAGE SHOP UNR SIEGE OM MOTORBIKE THUGS - AND THE FEAR THAT THEY HAVE FUELLED
There's heartache across Manchter today after Gay Village bs Clonezone was attacked - for a fourth time. * gay village shop *
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. 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. 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.
GAY VILLAGE SHOP CLONEZONE ‘LOST FOR WORDS’ AFTER FOURTH ATTACK
Spread over jt a few streets the "Southsi" of Birmgham, jt a few mut walk om the Bullrg, and New Street Tra Statn, the Gay Village has venu for everyone's tast - twk to leather lover! Listgs below. The ma drag (exce the pun) of the gay village is Hurst Street, and the Birmgham… * gay village shop *
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. 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 VILLAGE
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.
Read more: The Ethpian rtrant hidn above a takeaway Manchter’s gay village. 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.
AREA: GAY VILLAGE / HURST ST
Churchills – Somethg of an stutn the Gay Village, Churchills always has a buzz about . Vanilla – The only lbian venue an unniably gay-domated neighbourhood, Vanilla is probably more nightclub than bar. 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.
The Eagle – This popular men-only gay club gets packed wh guys, all of whom pretty much e for a siar thg. 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.
LGBTQ VENU ACCED OF EXTREME RACISM UK’S ‘GAY CAPAL OF THE NORTH’
Read more: Photos of Manchter’s legendary gay clubnight Flh go on display at Kimpton Clocktower.
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. Ho (well, mostly flats) the Gay Village are, on average, some of the pricit the cy centre.
Thanks to the dtrial herage of the Gay Village, many boast veted dtrial elements like exposed brick walls, beams and sash wdows. Wh s own taxi ranks, regular b nng up and down Prcs Street and easy accs to tras and trams at Manchter Picdilly Statn, the Gay Village is extremely well nnected. From Victorian drag balls and Canal Street, to the Campaign for Homosexual Equaly and the cy’sfamo Pri Ftival and para, ’s always been queer up north, as they say – and Manchter has been at the heart of LGBTQ+ culture for untls centuri now.