GM LGBTQ+ Community Newsletter
Friday, 28th July 2023Good Morning,
LGBT Foundation have re-launched their Newsletter.
- Keep up to date on ground-breaking work.
- Keep you posted about their campaigns and relevant news.
- Provide you with information on opportunities to support them, including training, fundraising and volunteering.
Take a look at look here:
Sign up here to keep up to date:
https://form.jotform.com/230372875895369
Cruise The Play: Home Mcr (I’ve seen it, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
The “stunning, joyful and wholeheartedly life-grabbing” (The Guardian), Olivier award nominated Cruise is the true story of what should have been Michael Spencer’s last night on earth.
When he’s diagnosed with HIV in 1984, Michael is told he’ll have four years to live – at most. On the last night of his four-year countdown, Michael decides to go out with a bang. He says his goodbyes, dances, sings, and says yes to everything and everyone… and then survives.
Written and performed with “vast charm, empathy and energy” (Evening Standard) by Jack Holden, Cruise is a celebration of queer culture. A kaleidoscopic musical and spoken word tribute to the veterans of the AIDs crisis with an irresistible 80s soundtrack. Cruise will make you laugh, cry, and inspire you to live every day as if it’s your last.
Please see the link here for more info and to book tickets: https://homemcr.org/production/cruise/
Read the weekly newsletter from Canal St Manchester:
https://www.canal-st.co.uk/canal-st-online-newsletter
LGBTQ+ Weekly Bulletin from Reach (Manchester Evening News)
https://e.reachplc.com/interface/external_view_email.php?RE6516714669015219zzzzz64bb904d77e998ba411bb1bdb61779466c4f078b01493e088e59c8948fac92a161&varId=
I Love Manchester: Events Not to Miss
https://ilovemanchester.com/
I Love Manchester: Inaugural Awards – Nominations Now Open
https://mailchi.mp/842c4663db8e/save-the-date?e=5e68cf27a0
Consortium: For Stronger LGBT+ Communities Funding News: July
https://mailchi.mp/fb556519164a/funding-news-jun23-8065193?e=4ef77ba796
Proud 2B Parents: Manchester Pride Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/e01f750b4ec5/july-2023-monthly-email-15370070?e=c3332628fc
Stonewall: The Women’s World Cup 2023
With over 80 openly LGBTQ+ players competing this year, this is the most inclusive World Cup ever.
To celebrate this global event and 10 years of our Rainbow Laces campaign, we’ve created a wallchart so you can watch along with the matches – and it’s completely free to download
Mermaids
One week ago, the Government delayed its discriminatory schools’ guidance, and the Education Secretary has made it clear in a statement that they won’t be ditching their harmful approach any time soon.
From what has been reported in the press, It is expect the guidance will make life more difficult for trans pupils in many ways, one being by suggesting they should only change their name, uniform or pronouns with permission from their parents and headteacher.
This risks outing students to unsupportive families, and preventing them from exploring their identities.
Mermaids are urging the Government to rethink its approach and protect trans young people in schools.
Green Community Picnic in Sackville Gardens: Sat 29 July 2.30 to 5pm.
Grounds of the City* event, A nature and wellbeing-focused event with experts on hand with tips and freebies. Includes a guided tour of the Gardens and surrounds. Bring your own picnic, meet neighbours and community groups. Win a prize for the picnic that best responds to the green theme.
*Grounds of the City is a volunteer collaboration between Clean and Green Castlefield and Friends of Sackville Gardens.
Greater Manchester Pride Events Taking Place
Starting Today: Pride in Bolton Fri 28th – Sun 30th July
https://pridebolton.co.uk/
This Sunday: Stockport Pride Sun 30th July
https://www.stockportpride.co.uk/
Trans Pride Manchester Sat 12th Aug
https://www.transpridemcr.org/
Levenshulme Pride Fri 11th – Sun 13th Aug
https://levenshulmepride.org.uk/
Wigan Pride Sat 12th Aug
https://www.wiganpride.com/
Prestwich Pride Sat 12th – Mon 14th Aug
https://www.instagram.com/prestwichpride/
Manchester Pride Fri 25th – Mon 28th Aug
https://www.manchesterpride.com/
Didsbury Pride Sat 2nd Sept
https://www.instagram.com/didsburypride/
Chorlton Pride Sat 16th Sept
https://chorltonpride.co.uk/
New Edition: Withington Pride Sat 23rd Sept
Various Locations around Withington – More details to follow:
Sparkle Weekend 2023 Visitor Feedback
Did you attend? If so, They would be extremely grateful if you could spare 5 minutes to give them some feedback.
https://www.cognitoforms.com/SparkleWeekend1/SparkleWeekend2023VisitorFeedback
Happy Valley Pride: This Weekend,
Happy Valley Pride celebrates LGBTQIA+ life in Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Mytholmroyd and surrounding areas.
There will be a variety of performers and a range of events including cabaret, comedy, movies, music and more.
The full programme is now available online at www.happyvalleypride.co.uk.
The Big Day Out takes place on Saturday 29 July in Calder Holmes Park from 11am to 6pm. Headlining the event is Ginny Lemon and Sister Sister from RuPaul’s Drag Race. There will also be singers, speakers, DJ’s, a craft stall, face painting, activities for kids, a well-being and info hub, food and drink stalls and the ‘pink pooch dog parade’. The day starts with an hour-long mini-Pride, produced by LGBTQIA+ young people from Calderdale.
Other highlights include:
Cabaret double bill with David Hoyle and Ginger Johnson at The Trades Club, tonight Friday 28 July at 7.30pm.
Famous London club night Duckie in collaboration with The Cocoa Butter Club at The Trades Club on Saturday 29 July at 9pm.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell will discuss the power of Pride with a free talk on Saturday 29 July at Hebden Bridge Little Theatre at 3pm.
Further details and tickets for all events are available at www.happyvalleypride.co.uk
Football Pride
Uniting LGBTQ+ people and active allies across the game, Football Pride is coming to Manchester Pride!
The main event is a symposium at Man Met Uni on Friday 25 August (10am to 4pm) with inspirational speakers such as out gay footballer Zander Murray and FIFA and WSL referee Stacey Pearson, influencers Mikey Connor and Jake Williamson, trailblazing trans players from TRUK United FC, fan leaders, media and more.
There will also be socials on the Thursday and Friday nights, plus there’s the chance to be part of a Football Pride group marching in the Manchester Pride parade on Saturday 26 August.
Info and link to sign up here –
https://www.footballvhomophobia.com/footballpridefestival/
Northern Pride Sports Social: Saturday 12th August, from 11am
Northern Pride Sports Socials Are a group of members from individual LGBT clubs of different sports in and around Manchester.
Throughout the year, they have been hosting sports watch socials where each team hosts their sport and allows other individuals from other teams to come and try the sport for free.
By doing this, they have created a bigger community amongst the LGBT, people of Manchester.
They have organised a sports day in August to allow all the teams to gather, play some games, win some trophies, and socialise altogether.
As a collective, they decided to run the event as a charitable event with proceeds of the tickets going to the LGBT foundation.
Please see the link to their website for tickets: https://northern-pride-sports.vercel.app/
LGBT Foundation is inviting those affected by the Independent LGBT Veterans Review to contact their helpline on 0345 3 30 30 30
Operation Equality is a national programme of wellbeing support and activities for LGBTQ+ veterans, service personnel and their families working to reduce isolation and loneliness within the community.
To find more information about Operation Equality, email [email protected]
Bury Pride presents LOUD – a Take Over of Burrs Live – Thursday 31st August 2023
LOUD will be taking over the Burrs Live site with an exciting evening of pop hits and queer joy – featuring Rogue Minogue, the no.1 tribute to the ever-popular princess of pop.
With hits from the early days through to her current hits this tribute is set to be the best party on the pop planet. So, grab your dancing shoes and head over to Burrs for an evening you won’t be able to forget!
The evening will also feature other artists which will be announced soon.
For tickets and more information follow the link: https://themet.org.uk/event/loud/
Pride in Leadership is a UK-wide network of over 1,000 LGBTQ+ business leaders and allies from across all sectors, shapes and sizes of organisation – www.prideinleadership.co.uk. It’s run by Matt Haworth & Claire Ebrey.
They have two HUGE events coming up for you in Manchester, bringing Bev Craig, the Leader of Manchester Council, and Juergen Maier, former CEO of Siemens to their members.
https://us4.campaign-archive.com/?u=af533e2c95dc8c3fdbef132ee&id=44a65598d0
LGBTQ+ Pathways to Parenthood Course confirmed for August 2023. This is a 6-week course giving a full picture of pathways to parenthood and was a huge success last year, so they hope it will be well received again this year:
LGBTQ+ Pathways to Parenthood 6 Week Course | Fertility Network (fertilitynetworkuk.org)
The Rainbow Lottery is the UK’s first weekly lottery that raises money for the LGBTQ+ community. Their hope is to make a difference to our over 100 good causes across the country, so they can carry on their vital work – which helps us all.
For more info: www.rainbowlottery.co.uk To start supporting causes in OUR community purchase your ticket here:
https://www.rainbowlottery.co.uk/referral/1754044334/1961609853
Nowt as Queer as Disabled Folk:
This is your opportunity to be part of an exciting project to make LGBTQ+ Disabled voices heard more widely.I am looking for volunteers who would like to join me in a new podcast about the experiences of disabled members of the LGBT+ Community. The podcast will be a series of 6 episodes, the aim is to give disabled members of our community a chance to share their experiences both good, bad, funny or serious. Anyone who would like to be a part of this project can email [email protected]
HERE-Bi is an eight-week, self-esteem therapy group for young bisexual people who have experienced non-suicidal self-injury urges, thoughts, or behaviours. The research study will be looking at how feasible this group is.
HERE-Bi starts on Wednesday 6th September, 5-6:30pm.
Are you..
- 16-25 years old?
- Identify as bisexual or as being attracted to more than one gender?
- Have experienced thoughts or urges to self-injure or have self-injured within the last 6 months?
- Able to attend an online group once a week for eight weekly sessions of 90-minutes?
Please email [email protected] for more information, or search @bisexualMH on Twitter for updates! Participants will be reimbursed for their time and participation.
My good friend Soraya Vivian Show’s her support for KYIV PRIDE & the UKRAINE LGBTVQI+ Community with her new single COLOURS OF LOVE Single OUT Today 28th July 2023. https://bfan.link/colours-of-love
It was time for Soraya to stand up and give some love back by recording her new single COLOURS OF LOVE which features her HAUS OF SORAYA Drag Singers & Dancers, the tracks goal is to show not only much needed love and support, but also keep up the global awareness of the Plight of the community in Ukraine and at same time raise as much money as possible.
All the profits from the track will be going direct to KYIV PRIDE who will buy medical supplies, food and also help continue to provide their shelter for the LGBTVQI+ community in Ukraine.
COLOURS OF LOVE is the OFFICIAL KYIV PRIDE ANTHEM and will be released JULY 28TH 2023 on all platforms via the wonderful DEEVU Records.
Soraya Vivian will be performing the track all over the Word including UK Prides in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Didsbury, Derby, Sunderland, Lincoln and many more being added all the time such as Benidorm Pride, Winter Pride in Maspalomas Spain and the Final of Mr Gay World in Cape Town South Africa giving Soraya the ideal opportunity to spread the Colours of Love support for Ukraine to over 27 countries being represented at the Final.
WEBSITE: www.sorayavivian.com
For more details Contact: Steve Hughes, [email protected] Tel: 07779 257295
LGBT Foundation “The Community Café”
Every Saturday, 12pm – 4pm Note New Timings
Have a brew and a chat with other LGBTQ+ people at their sober space, located in the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village
Fairbairn House, 2nd Floor, 72 Sackville Street, Manchester M1 3NJ
www.lgbt.foundation
PeerFest is an annual, national event (hosted by Mind) that celebrates the importance, power and diversity of peer support. It takes the form of a daylong event with creative workshops, talks, networking and knowledge sharing.
This year they are coming to The Lowry Theatre, Manchester on Thurs 7th Sept.
They are trying to make connections with local community groups and individuals who are working/volunteering with a peer support or mental health focus.
They are particularly interested in reaching groups that are often underrepresented in mental health or peer support spaces. They are looking at arranging a meeting to discuss how they can get the word out and get as many people involved in PeerFest 2023!
They have a few different ways groups or people can be involved:
- Delivering a talk, workshop or activity as part of the event programme.
- Attending as an audience member.
- Marsh Awards: Awards of between £500-£1000 for community led groups coming together for peer support.
- PeerFest Grants: Small grants to support community-led organisations delivering peer support.
For more information or to get involved, please contact: David Paulin (he/him) [email protected] @PeerFestUK
Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Dementia Awareness and Inclusion Training
LGBT Foundation with support from Dementia United are currently running a series of training sessions which have been inspired by Greater Manchester’s Online LGBTQ+ Dementia Support Group. The sessions are delivered remotely via Microsoft Teams and are planned to take place between 1pm – 2.30pm on the following dates: July 31st , 9th,17th,22nd, 30th August. The webinars are ideal for anyone within health and social care settings or if you have a specific interest in this topic. For more information please contact: [email protected]
Survey / Study Requests:
Please see below a link to the public consultation to support the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Strategy that is due to launch in late 2023. The purpose is to find out Greater Manchester residents’ views on violence and the impact violence may have had on them.
This includes: Domestic Abuse and Control, Harassment, Sexual Assault, Stalking, Hate Crime, Knife Crime, Robbery, Burglary, Anti-Social Behaviour.
Please see link below – we encourage you to complete this and share widely across your networks:
Chemsex Experiences:
Hello, my name is Breige (she/her) and I am a trainee clinical psychologist at the University of Manchester. I am part of a research team looking at the chemsex experiences of gay and bisexual men living with HIV in the North West of England.
- We are interested in finding out what chemsex means to people who participate in it and how they understand these experiences. We would also like to find out what it is like to feel unsure about continuing to have chemsex.
- We hope the findings from this research can help health professionals better support men who engage in chemsex and are living with HIV.
- Participating in the study would involve completing a brief phone call with myself followed by a questionnaire and interview, lasting 1.5-2 hours in total. Participants would also be reimbursed for their time with an e-voucher.
If you’re interested in taking part, or know someone who would be, check out the poster or follow the link here to register your interest: https://www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_cRR8XmD7ywxCys6 If you have any questions or would like to know more, please feel free to send an email to [email protected] Thank you!”
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programme Community Liaison Group (CLG) Are seeking new members who identify as an Expert by Experience (EbE), Service User and/or Carer to contribute to the education of Trainee Clinical Psychologists on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme at the University of Manchester
They are looking for new members who must have:
Lived experience of significant psychological distress and/or physical health difficulties. And / Or, Have experience of being a Carer of someone who has experienced psychological distress and/or physical health difficulties.
Previous experience of holding the role of expert by experience, service user or carer in involvement groups, e.g. in the NHS, University, Local Charities.
Interest in being involved in the training of clinical psychologists (Academic, Selection, Teaching, Research, Placements).
Access and skills to use technology to access Zoom or TEAMS for remote access when required.
The Community Liaison Group meets monthly so you would need to be comfortable in contributing to group discussions about mental health and psychological distress and be able to tolerate hearing other people’s views which may be different your own.
A willingness and interest in accessing training provided by the group facilitators is needed. No formal experience of teaching, research or psychology / psychological approaches is required.
Be able to commit to being able to regularly attend a meeting which occurs at 1-3pm on the 2nd Monday of each month. This is normally held at the University of Manchester but will be held remotely by Zoom if required.
Reimbursement for your time and local public transport travel costs is provided in line with university and national guidelines.
It is desirable that new members have experience of receiving a service from a qualified clinical psychologist in the NHS.
In order to broaden the expertise within our existing group we are particularly interested in applications from individuals or carers with experience of any of the following:- children & young people’s mental health services, older adults’ dementia services
If you have the above experience and are interested in applying for this role, please contact Yvonne or Brendan for an application form.
Application forms will be sent to you as requested and must be completed and emailed back before Mon 28th August 2023 to be considered for interview.
Contact details: Dr Yvonne Awenat [email protected]
Dr Brendan J Dunlop [email protected]
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy:
Study Request from Charlotte Harding, she has started recruiting for her study which aims to explore lesbian and gay adults’ experiences of completing dialectical behavioural therapy. We know that lesbian and gay individuals suffer from high rates of mental health, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and trauma. Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT), is a therapy that works with reducing mental health difficulties and managing self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Yet, there is little research out there around this groups lived experience of completing DBT.
Charlotte wants to explore generally how lesbian and gay adults found completing DBT but more specifically:
- What it was like to engage in DBT as someone who identifies as gay or lesbian
- Was DBT experienced as affirmative in nature
- What was it like working on self-harm urges and suicidal ideation, within DBT, as a gay or lesbian person
Her study is a paid study, participants will receive a £25 e-voucher for participating in a one-hour interview to share their experiences.
Charlotte hopes to make recommendations to DBT therapists on how to adjust/improve therapy after she has analysed the data. If you wish to take part or have any questions: [email protected]
The University of York research project Understanding Experiences of Dementia explores experiences of living with dementia, including how people manage daily routines, what help and support they get (or seek), interests, activities and social groups they attend.
They want to understand what matters most to people living with dementia and will also consider challenges and thoughts about the future.
Taking part in this study will involve a one-off interview lasting around one hour, which will be filmed or audio recorded. They are looking for participants aged 55 or over who have capacity to decide for themselves whether or not they wish to take part in the research.
The aim of the research is to develop an online information resource to help inform people who are worried about dementia. The resource will also be used to train health and care professionals.
In order for this resource to serve a wide range of people living with dementia, they are really keen to include experiences of people from minority groups who are underrepresented in research.
If you are interested please contact [email protected] for more information.
The Older LGBTQ+ Adult Social Care Assessment Study;
Are you an older person (approximately 60+) and identify as LGBTQ+? Have you had contact from adult social care in England? Please participate in their project! If you:
- identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or another gender or sexual minority and are over 60 years old.
- had contact with adult social care (including as a carer of an older LGBTQ+ person)
They are interested in interviewing you! You can help them to better understand the social care experiences of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer + adults.
If you would like to participate in an individual interview at a location of your choice, please get in touch with Dora Jandric on
[email protected] or on 07521207427 For more information about the study, please visit:
www.birmingham.ac.uk/loasca You will receive a £20 voucher as a token of appreciation for taking part.
Job Vacancies:
LGBT Foundation:
Find out about the latest job vacancies with the LGBT Foundation:
https://lgbt.foundation/jobs
akt is currently recruiting for a Caseworker in Manchester, supporting LGBTQ+ young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Here’s the link to the role on our careers page with all the details:
Caseworker | akt
University of Salford Health Centre
Part Time Medical Receptionist Required
Langworthy Medical Practice in Salford have a vacancy for a part- time medical receptionist at their branch at University of Salford Health Centre. Closing date for applications is 4th August. Part Time – 25hrs per week over 5 days, more details and application via this link: https://uk.indeed.com/job/medical-receptionist-part-time-25hrs-week-over-5-days-7dc6589fb9257f2c
NHS health Research:
Medicines Optimisation
People with lived experience of mental illness to help explore what matters most to people when approaching research into the safe and effective use of medicines. Researchers are especially keen to make sure that LGBTQ+ voices are included in this research. For more information, please see the Research for the Future website: www.researchforthefuture.org/studies/optimising-medicines
BHA for Equality:
Community Engagement and Development Worker x 2 roles – Manchester
https://thebha.org.uk/vacancies/community-engagement-and-development-worker-x-2-roles-manchester/
They have 2 full time (35 hours per week) Community Engagement and Development Worker posts available, which are fixed term until June 2024.
Salary: NJC SCP 12 – 22 – £24,496-£29,439
If anyone would like to discuss this role, please contact Elisabete Miranda (Programme Lead) at [email protected] to arrange an informal telephone discussion.
Volunteering Opportunities:
The Met Theatre, Bury is looking for new trustees!
The Met Theatre are dedicated to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and protected characteristics.
The Met Theatre has a clear strategy for the future and are looking specifically for younger board members as they believe it creates further insight into decision making and development.
If you are interested in applying or want more information, please follow the link:
https://themet.org.uk/about/jobs/trustee-recruitment/
LGBT Foundation:
Are you passionate about supporting LGBT communities? Do you want to help LGBT Foundation create a fair and equal society where all lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people are able to reach their full potential? At LGBT Foundation we are happy to start recruitment again for volunteers to join our team as we continue to make a difference during the Coronavirus pandemic.
LGBT Foundation have a very simple motto – we’re here if you need us. And that applies to everyone in our beautifully diverse communities. If you’re young, we’re here for you; if you’re older, we’re here for you; if you’re a person of colour, we’re here for you; if you’re a man, a woman, or non-binary, we’re here for you; lesbian, gay, bi, trans – however you describe yourself – we’re here for you. If you need help, if you’re struggling, if you need a friendly face or reassuring voice, we are there for you if you need us. We are all family – and at LGBT Foundation, everyone is welcome.
Below you can find information on the programmes recruiting at the moment, the role profiles for the various different volunteering roles and how to apply. https://lgbt.foundation/regular-volunteering-roles
Canal St VIP Card:
Over recent weeks, several comments have been made about some difficulty in finding or checking which venue partners are listed with unique special offers for card holders to enjoy and benefit from.
So, they have simplified the process and it is now easier to quickly find your favoured venues as all are listed alphabetically.
They have also added some new card partner offers too.
Buying or renewing a card is also quicker to do.
Need to buy or renew your card? To buy card and phone together
They are delighted to confirm that they have made another donation to George House Trust this year, directly from increased sales of the card and phone covers.
Gay Pride Shop & The LGBTQ+ Book Shop
The UK’s largest LGBTQ+ store in located in Afflecks in Manchester city centre and online at www.gayprideshop.co.uk. Over 7000 items in stock, with their profits shared with Manchester charities. They also cater for large corporate orders, for items such as lanyards, flags and badges, with corporate discounts available. For corporate/business orders, please contact [email protected]
If you feel that you no longer wish to receive these emails, PLEASE let me know, I would hate to think I am bombarding you with information that you don’t require and it is just blocking up your inbox. (I won’t be offended).
Remember, if you have events or information you wish to share across Greater Manchester then feel free to send that over to me to be included, I send this email out to over 2000 contacts which in turn gets sent out through their networks: [email protected]
Kind Regards
Carl Austin-Behan OBE DL
Pronouns: He / Him / His