Community
Published: October 11, 2023 by mbelfield
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Wednesday, the 11th of October is Coming Out Day, and as people across the UK celebrate the courage and resilience of LGBTQ+ communities, LGBT Foundation, George House Trust and Homobloc are proud to announce the 14 recipients of Round Three of the Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Community Fund.
The fund gives financial support to groups and organisations dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities while promoting equality, social change, and raising awareness of HIV and tackling HIV stigma.
The diversity of projects spans a broad spectrum, including projects that prioritise trans inclusion, educate about HIV, give resources back to communities, provide safe spaces for women, and amplify LGBTQ+ people and communities within Greater Manchester and beyond.
The recipients of Round Three and their plans for the funds are:
1. Bury LGBTQI+ Forum – Engagement of LGBTQ+ Women:
Bury LGBTQI+ Forum promotes inclusion in the Bury District and will support an art project led by LGBTQ+ artist Sara Joy Ford, aimed at reducing social isolation among LGBTQ+ women in Bury.
2. Gay Gordons – ICT and Technology:
This Manchester-based LGBTQ+ community dance group will use the funding to improve its ICT provision, enhancing their online presence and recruitment process.
3. Prestwich Pride CIC – Prestwich Pride 2024:
Prestwich Pride CIC will expand their community events in 2024, celebrating and including the local LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Their events feature family activities, drag acts, and DJ-led gatherings in Prestwich, and engage local businesses to support chosen charities through Pride-themed window art and raffles.
4. Tranuary CIC – Tranuary Festival 2024:
Tranuary CIC, led by trans people, will host a two-day festival in January, including creative skills workshops, an art exhibition, a commissioned short film screening and an in-conversation session with a trans activist.
5. Trans Pride Manchester CIC – Operational costs and Trans Pride 2024:
Trans Pride Manchester CIC will use the grant to continue their annual pride event for trans and non-binary people in Greater Manchester. It will include a protest march, community-building activities and workshops addressing unique issues faced by the trans and non-binary community.
6. Out In The City – Group Activities:
Out In The City is a vibrant social and support group catering to LGBTQ+ individuals aged 50 and above that combats social isolation. The funding will cover the costs of a range of community activities that enhance the well-being of older LGBTQ+ individuals.
7. Emmerson and Ward – Interactive Art Installation:
Emmerson & Ward will use the funding to develop an interactive art installation with workshops for LGBTQ+ youth and military veterans. This project will foster a sense of community, boost confidence, and raise awareness among these groups, particularly focusing on the Bi+ community and LGBTQ+ veterans.
8. Creative City England CIC – LGBTQ+ sessions in Levenshulme:
Creative City will pilot a weekly LGBTQ+ session at Levenshulme Old Library, offering free, inclusive, two-hour creative arts sessions for five weeks.
9. Studio 409 – Podcast Equipment:
Studio 409 will use the funding for new equipment that will enhance the quality of existing shows and support the recording of public events at Islington Mill.
10. To Bee Productions – Queer Cabaret:
To Bee Productions plans to produce “Queens of the Desert, a Queer Cabaret” during LGBT+ History Month, celebrating Manchester’s LGBTQIA+ culture. This cabaret fuses storytelling, drag, music, burlesque and poetry, with authentic stories told by diverse and talented LGBTQ+ artists and provides a platform for intersectional topics including bi-phobia, houselessness, neurodiversity as well as celebrating chosen family, relationships and queer joy.
11. Manchester Village Spartans RUFC – Trans and Gender-nonconforming recruitment drive:
The Manchester Village Spartans aim to launch a campaign focused on recruiting more trans and gender-nonconforming rugby union players. Their goal is to demonstrate to the Greater Manchester trans and gender-nonconforming rugby community that gender identity should not hinder participation in team sports.
12. Connect – Increasing accessibility for trans people:
Connect is a social group for trans individuals aged 18-35 in Greater Manchester. The grant will support access provision for members, meeting space costs and help cover a wider variety of activities, including sporting activities, benefitting member’s physical and mental health.
13. Drag Kings of Manchester – Safe sex, HIV and awareness amongst women:
Drag Kings of Manchester will host monthly butch and drag king nights, emphasising sex positivity and HIV awareness in AFAB communities and accessibility for marginalised individuals, such as queer people of colour, working-class individuals, and those with disabilities and personal assistants.
14. Trafford Hongkongers CIC – Promoting inclusion in the Hongkonger community:
Trafford Hongkongers CIC will promote LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Hongkonger community in Greater Manchester with a two-day project that offers a safe space for LGBTQ+ Hongkongers to network and discuss the challenges they face alongside a public exhibition showcasing bilingual information about LGBTQ+ acceptance and rights in the UK, LGBTQ+ Hongkonger life stories, and LGBTQ+ representation in popular culture.
Alexandra Herbert, Trustee for LGBT Foundation, said: “We’re excited about the ongoing success of this initiative and we’re especially proud of the numerous proposals from organisations expanding outreach to trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals and groups looking to support LGBTQ+ people of colour. Inclusion of trans voices and the voices of people of colour is crucial in every aspect of LGBTQ+ life, and this inclusivity in the proposals reflects our city region’s commitment to supporting each other and making positive changes.”
Vanessa Jackson, Deputy Chair of George House Trust, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to drive positive change and promote inclusivity and equality for all. It shows the power of partnerships and the importance of uplifting each other to make a huge difference to communities across Greater Manchester. I am pleased to see more and more proposals come forward that talk about HIV, especially amongst women, which is something that people still shy away from.
Rod Connolly, Homobloc’s promoter said: “Homobloc is proud to stand alongside LGBT Foundation and George House Trust in supporting the Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Community Fund. The vital work of Grassroots groups strengthens the local community and has a deep impact to the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals and those affected by HIV in Greater Manchester.”
The selection process for Round Three proposals involved independent representatives from the NHS, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Village Licensed Business Association (VLBA), 10GM (Greater Manchester’s voluntary sector support organisations) and LGBTQ+ community members, supported by a trustee from both LGBT Foundation’s and George House Trust’s Board of Trustees.
LGBT Foundation and George House Trust have played pivotal roles in promoting the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals across the UK, providing essential support, services, and assistance to those living with and affected by HIV. Homobloc has in turn become a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people and their allies to celebrate queer joy. The Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Community Fund underscores their unwavering dedication, serving as a vital resource to support the valuable work undertaken by individuals, groups, and charities throughout the Greater Manchester region.
For more information about LGBT Foundation, please visit lgbt.foundation. For more information about George House Trust visit ght.org.uk. For more information about Homobloc visit homobloc.co.uk
