Top 5: LGBT History Month ft. Queer Contact & Royal Exchange

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month is well underway, and there are many and varied events taking place all around the city which celebrate the lives and achievements of the LGBT community. Here are four of the best…

‘OUTing The Past’ at the People’s History Museum
This packed afternoon/evening begins with a presentation about LGBT History Month’s Festival Theatre. Another talk looks at the role of lesbians and bi women in the fight for women’s voting rights. These ‘Sapphic Suffragettes’ are thought to include the group’s leaders, Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenney. There will also be a presentation about Edward Carpenter, an overlooked LGBT writer; and a look at the history of trans people in the UK. The event is part of the Museum’s ‘Radical Lates’ series.
Thu 8 Feb, People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester, M3 3ER, Tel: 0161 838 9190, 5pm – 8pm, £3 (Suggested donation), www.phm.org.uk/whatson

‘How Arena 3 Saved My Life’ at the People’s History Museum
This event celebrates The Minorities Research Group – the UK’s first lesbian social and political organisation. Between 1964 and 1972, the group published a magazine titled Arena 3. This talk, hosted by writer and researcher Jane Traies, will explore the impact of the magazine through the oral testimonies of older lesbians whose lives were changed through contact with other women like themselves. Also, representatives of the Manchester Lesbian Immigration Support Group will talk about their work with women from around the world who are seeking sanctuary in our area.
Sat 17 Feb, Working Class Movement Library, 51 The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX, Tel: 0161 736 3601, 2pm, FREE, www.wcml.org.uk/whats-on

Queer Contact: ‘Temporary Monument, Permanent Protest’
In February 1988, the UK government introduced Section 28 – legislation which banned local councils from ‘promoting homosexuality’. In response, over 20,000 people in Manchester marched in protest. Collaborating with photographer Manuel Vason, Contact Theatre is looking for volunteers to help them recreate the original images taken at the protest. Ideally, they would like people who were at the march, but anyone over 18 is welcome. Volunteers must attend a workshop beforehand, and the event itself will take place later at a TBC city centre location. The photographs will be presented at a public event in May which will celebrate the protest and its legacy. See the link below for details.
Tue 20 Feb, Time and location to be confirmed, contactmcr.com

‘Forbidden Love’ at the Royal Exchange’s Studio
Marking half a century since the legalisation of homosexuality is this cabaret about illicit same-sex desire in times of repression. The singer Jessica Walker and pianist Joseph Atkins present a history of LGBT songs. The show begins with a celebration of the male impersonators of the Victorian music hall and the first openly gay songs of 1920s Berlin. It journeys through the erotic songs of 1930s Paris, and into the hidden sexualities of artists in Britain and America. Expect Noel Coward and Dusty Springfield, via Marlene Dietrich. The show has garnered strong reviews from The New York Times and The Guardian.
Wed 28 Feb – Thu 1 Mar, The Studio, Royal Exchange Theatre, St. Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7HD, Tel: 0161 833 9833, 7.30pm, £11-£13, www.royalexchange.co.uk/whats-on

‘OUT’ club night at Academy
Although there is a lot to learn from the past and still work to be done for equality in this country and around the world there’s also a lot to celebrate and the LGBTQ+ community has always known how to do that right. As part of a series of events for the month Manchester Student Union are launching a new club night succinctly and aptly called ‘OUT’- a fierce event for all those who identify as LGBTQ+ and allies with music ranging from disco to house and RnB with drink deals, gender neutral toilets and plenty of glitter.
Wed 28 Feb, University Union, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PR. Tel: 0161 2752930, £4/6, 10.30pm – 3am www.skiddle.com