A brand new £2.4million centre in Manchester aimed at providing LGBTQ+ people with community groups and support workers has opened.
The Proud Place on Sydney Street in the city centre is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built centre from LGBT+ youth charity The Proud Trust. The space will give LGBTQ+ people access to a number of advice and support services, alongside network opportunities.
The building sits on the site of the former LGBT Centre, which first opened in 1988 before being completely demolished in 2020. The original centre was created with discretion in mind, while the new gold building embraces an ‘out and proud’ culture.
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The three-story build comprises of a cafe, community rooms, a city-centre roof garden and a library, which features the original ‘gay centre’ sign as well as newspaper clippings documenting the centre’s history. It also includes brickwork from the demolished building.
“It’s an honour for The Proud Trust to take care of such an important building on behalf of Manchester’s LGBT+ Community and we’re excited for this next chapter in our history,” said CEO Lisa Harvey-Nebil. “Our beautiful new home is such a far cry from the original building, which was built for privacy in the days when many people in our community were fearful of accessing services.”
She added: “We’ve come a long way from 1988 and our new building proudly reflects that. We hope it will be a centre that provides joy, warmth, hope, support, solace, and optimism for all of its users for many years to come.”
Newly appointed Lord Mayor of Manchester, Donna Ludford, spoke about the importance of the centre by saying: “My daughter is gay, and if she would’ve had somewhere like this to come when she was coming out, it would have been life changing for her. If Manchester, and now the UK, had lost this centre, we would have lost a huge part of the community.
“Young people need to feel accepted in society, they will feel that here. Struggling with your identity, and the ‘who am I, where do I fit in here’ part, which my daughter did at age 14, can be very difficult for young people. To be able to come here and know there are other people just like you, is what’s needed for LGBT+ young people up and down the country. Everyone needs to just be who they are. I am very proud to be here today.”
Simone, 24, a service user of The Proud Trust, said: “It means so much to be here today. I first came to The Proud Trust as a young person to help me with getting employment, they supported me on my options, as I hadn’t been out long as a trans woman and I wanted to know my options and if I would be protected and safe. Ever since then I have never looked back.”
Carl Austin-Beehan, LGBT+ advisor to Andy Burnham, officially opened the centre on Friday (May 27) alongside The Proud Trust’s Lisa and Lord Mayor Ludford. Speaking about the significance of the centre, Carl said: “It’s about having somewhere which people can feel connected to. It’s important that young people have somewhere to call home where they can be their authentic selves.
“We see it so many times that we often tend to cater to the older people or the nightlife aspects, but it’s important that there’s a real place for community which can support people as they come to terms with who they are. The centre has been designed by members of the community for the community, and there’s a real significance in that.
“It’s really exciting to see this all come together after first being in the works since 2015. The building has been completely transformed and will now be able to transform the lives of people not just here in Manchester but across the country and the north west too.”
The new space is set to welcome 16,000 visitors each year, as well as launch a programme of events and digital projects to support LGBT+ young people nationally as well as regionally. Paul Fairweather, who worked at the Manchester Gay Switchboard in the 1980s - which would later became the LGBT centre - said: “It was very controversial and unpopular when it first opened in 1988, but the centre played a key part in the campaign against Section 28. It was a really significant moment that changed politics nationally and locally.
"In the 1990s and the 2000s, there were huge changes in legislation, equality and public attitude. I spoke to a friend about the unveiling of the centre and they asked why we needed something like this in 2022, but we still face hatred, violence, discrimination, prejudice and stigma. The trans community - particularly young trans people - are facing sustained and targeted attacks.
“I think the centre is truly a place that’s been a real catalyst for change and a place for safety for everyone, particularly younger people and for those more marginalised members of our community. It supports everyone to reach their full potential and has, for over 40 years, played a key role in developing and sustaining the community and will continue to do so for the next 40 years and beyond.”
You can find more information about The Proud Trust here.
