Announcements
Published: 26 June 2025 by mbelfield
2025 marks 50 years of queer hope and joy for LGBT Foundation, and the heart of the celebrations begins in the centre of Manchester.
Opening Friday 27 June to the public, the 50 Years of Queer Hope & Joy Exhibition at Manchester Central Library invites the public into a powerful, moving, and often joyful journey through the stories that shaped five decades of LGBTQ+ life in Greater Manchester and beyond.
From never-before-seen archive materials and oral histories to community artefacts and campaign posters, the exhibition showcases the resilience, resistance, and creativity of LGBTQ+ people across generations. Whether you’re rediscovering the past or encountering it for the first time, this in-person exhibition places the lived experiences of queer people at the heart of the narrative.
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and proudly sponsored by Barefoot Wine, and fresh off the launch of This Is What a Woman Looks Like, LGBT Foundation’s newest national campaign and a powerful celebration of the diversity and visibility of women in 2025, and the recent appointment of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK royalty Dita Garbo as LGBT Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Ambassador, LGBT Foundation is honouring its heritage with a programme of fearless, creative, and community-led projects that highlight five decades of queer resistance, progress, and pride.
Programme includes:
50 Years of Queer Hope & Joy Exhibition
Friday 27 June – December 2025 | Manchester Central Library
This flagship exhibition at Manchester Central Library brings together never-before-seen archive materials, oral histories, and community treasures from LGBT Foundation’s vast collection. It tells the story of five decades of queer resistance, visibility, health activism, and joy through the eyes of those who lived it.
LGBT Foundation x Google Arts & Culture Online Collection: History in Your Hands
Launches Friday 27 June
For the first time, LGBT Foundation’s powerful archive will be available online thanks to Google Arts & Culture. Visitors from around the world can explore digital exhibitions, photos, campaign posters, and community stories, ensuring LGBTQ+ history is preserved, shared, and celebrated far beyond Manchester.
Rainbow Arts Trail
June – September 2025 | Locations include Piccadilly Place, Kampus, The Gay Village, Seesaw, and Manchester Art Gallery
Following a preview in May, the Rainbow Arts Trail officially opens to the public, inviting them to walk this free public art trail across Manchester city centre. Featuring work from over 25 LGBTQ+ artists and allies, LGBT Foundation’s first-ever Rainbow Arts Trail brings queer hope and joy to life through painting, illustration, poetry, and soundscapes linked by QR codes. A digital, interactive version of the trail is available at https://lgbt.foundation/50years/rainbow-trail, inviting more people than ever to experience queer creativity.
Safer Sex Packs: A Fierce and Fabulous Makeover for the 50th Anniversary
Available in venues across the Gay Village, Pride festivals, and LGBTQ+ friendly events across the city region
Originally launched in 1994 and now a staple of LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing, LGBT Foundation’s iconic Safer Sex Packs are getting a special anniversary makeover. With new visuals inspired by the charity’s archive, the packs remain a celebration of pleasure, empowerment, and health equity – and a tribute to the thousands of volunteers who’ve packed them over the years.
The Secret Public Exhibition at John Rylands Library – Community Playlist LIVE!
Wednesday 9 October | 5–8pm | John Rylands Library
A one-night-only event hosted in partnership with the John Rylands Secret Public exhibition, Community Playlist LIVE! is a celebratory evening of music, memories, and community, marking 50 years of LGBTQ+ hope and joy. Attendees can contribute to a live community playlist of LGBTQ+ anthems, sharing the tracks that have defined queer life, love, and resistance over the past five decades. From iconic dancefloor fillers to deeply personal songs, every contribution will help tell the story of the LGBTQ+ experience through music.
Stevie Watson, LGBT Foundation 50th Anniversary Project Manager, said:
“This year is all about celebrating where we’ve come from while inspiring what comes next. These projects make our history visible – on the streets, in the library, and in the hands of people around the world through their mobile devices. We want our history and heritage to inspire hope and joy in LGBTQ+ people across Greater Manchester, the UK, and thanks to Google Arts & Culture, the world. We want these fantastic and intriguing events to remind us all how vital representation, inclusion, and joy are in shaping our collective future. Now more than ever, we need to tell these stories of hope and resilience and pass them forward.”
Anthony Crowther, one of LGBT Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Volunteers, said:
“Working with the team to bring this exhibition and our archive to life has been an interesting experience, and it’s brought back memories I’d completely forgotten. So many times, I found myself thinking, ‘I was there!’ It’s been both fun and thought-provoking. Different people will take different things from the archive. Younger people will be experiencing some of this history for the first time, while people my age will be reminded of what we lived through. It’s about highlighting the past to protect the future. Even within the team, some didn’t realise you could be arrested, have your house raided, or face discrimination because of the laws that existed. This has been a powerful moment to stop, reflect, and remember just how far we’ve come.”
More events and activities will be announced throughout the year as LGBT Foundation builds towards a powerful finale in December.
Join us in celebrating 50 years of LGBTQ+ resistance, joy, and community.
