OUTing the Past: Manchester
People’s History Museum
Sunday 26 February 2017, 11.00am – 5.00pm
On the opening weekend of Never Going Underground, join us to celebrate LGBT History Month with OUTing the Past Manchester (part of the 3rd National Festival of LGBT History). There will be taster tours throughout the day of the exhibition and PHM’s main galleries. Human rights campaigner Stuart Milk will kick off a programme of insightful and inspirational talks, spanning design, music, photography and the history of LGBT+ activism. The festival will close with a performance about the 19th century activists Frances Power Cobbe and Mary Charlotte Lloyd.
January 1967: it’s illegal for men to have sex together, lesbianism is condemned as sinful or seen as a medial misfortune, and trans rights are non-existent. 50 years later, LGBT+ legal protection and equality is almost UK-wide. This progress was inevitable, and there were steps back as well as forward.
We encourage you to head over to Burnley on Saturday 25 February, to be transported back to the 1970s in what was a key battleground for lesbian and gay rights. The Burnley Buggers’ Ball, by Stephen M Hornby, tells the story of a transformative political meeting held at Burnley Central Library. Burnley’s Lesbian Liberator, by Abi Hynes, dramatises the political activism of a bus driver sacked for nothing more than wearing a badge. Both plays are vividly staged in the sites where the original events happened.
Throughout 2017 we will host a series of exhibitions, events and learning programmes exploring the past, present and future of LGBT+ activism. This includes the landmark exhibition Never Going Underground: the fight for LGBT+ rights, curated by members of the local LGBT+ community. Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It details the development of an LGBT+ movement, exploring and celebrating those who campaigned and continue to campaign for equality for LGBT+ people
Never Going Underground: The Fight for LGBT+ Rights
Sat 25 February – Sun 3 September
January 1967: it’s illegal for men to have sex together, lesbianism is condemned as sinful or seen as a medical misfortune, and trans rights are non-existent. 50 years later, LGBT+ legal protection and equality is almost UK-wide. There was, however, nothing inevitable about that progress, and there were steps back as well as forward. This unique exhibition is curated by members of the local LGBT+ community. It details the development of an LGBT+ movement, showing the internal and external struggles, the different party political approaches to equality, and the social and historical context of the last sixty years of activism. This is the complex and compelling story of a long and often bumpy journey.
Never Going Underground: the fight for LGBT+ rights
Throughout 2017 we will host a series of exhibitions, events and learning programmes exploring the past, present and future of LGBT+ activism. Visit our website for full details – Never Going Underground: The Fight for LGBT+ Rights
Family Friendly exhibition, suitable for all ages
Useful information
Visit every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm. Free Entry
People’s History Museum, Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3ER
Tel/Fax: + 44 (0)161 838 9190
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Visit our website for full details of how to find us
The museum is fully accessible where possible. See the Access page for further information.
In order to keep our exhibitions programme affordable to everyone, please make a donation
Suggested donation £5
10.00am – 5.00pm
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People’s History Museum
People’s History Museum is the national museum of democracy and the home of ideas worth fighting for. Meet the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters and citizens who fought our battle for the ballot. Gather amongst their magnificent banners and discover how time off was won (and spent). Enjoy our main galleries, Changing Exhibition Gallery and Community Gallery, along with interactives and activities for visitors of all ages. Browse our shop for unique books and gifts and round off your day with a bite to eat in our cafe bar The Left Bank.