LGBT Source Guide

Please note these collections are available by appoinment only.

Records of Manchester City Council - LGBT Employee Group (ref: GB127.M744)

The group has been running since April 2003. It has a commitment to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the Council's work and to offer effective staff support.

Core Group notes, Full Group notes, annual reports, conference pack, promotional material 2002-2006 [restricted access].

Papers of Margaret Roff (1943-1987), Manchester City Councillor and lesbian rights campaigner (ref: GB127.M746)

Copy minutes and papers of the Manchester City Council Women's Steering Group 1984-1985, Manchester City Council Lesbian Working Party 1985, and Manchester City Council Lesbian Sub-Committee 1985-1987

Papers relating to Manchester City Council's Equal Opportunities Policy and Equal Opportunities 1985-1986

Press Release issued by Rusholme Ward Labour Party regarding the withdrawal of Margaret Roff as a Ward Councillor 1986

Letter from Margaret Roff to Larry Whitty regarding discrimination in the Labour Party n.d.

Newspaper cuttings etc.

Records of the Manchester City Council Chief Executive's Department: Service Improvement and Inclusion Team (ref: GB.127.M775)

This collection includes the campaign records of the Service Improvement and Inclusion Team, exhibition material and other collected material. A more detailed catalogue is available for this collection on request. Please note the campaign records are on restricted access.

The bulk of the exhibition material - which is mostly publicity documents from local gay and lesbian organisations - was collected for two exhibitions hosted by Manchester City Council: 'Lesbian and Gay Campaigns in the Late 80's Ten Years On' (c.1998 and 2000) and 'Repealed! - An exhibition of the history of local campaigns for the repeal of Section 28' (Manchester Central Library, 18 Nov-31 Dec 2003).

The archive also includes the following Manchester City Council publications collected by the unit:

• Council report on Section 28, Jun-Jul 1988
• Gay Men open meeting advert at Manchester Gay Centre, 29 Sep [ ]
• Guides to workers in the education service and social services department, May 1992
• Lesbian and Gay Equality 2000 poster
• Mardi Gras sponsorship banner, n.d.
• Manchester City Council banner, n.d.
• Housing support information leaflet and poster, Aug 2004
• Out in the Past LGBT Manchester Pride heritage trail leaflet, n.d.
• New Agenda for Equality for Lesbians and Gay Men conference poster and conference report, Aug 2003
• Lesbian and Gay Discussion Day report, 2005
• LGBT History Month poster and leaflets, c.2004
• Measuring Success progress report, 2007
• Exceeding Expectations newsletters 2 and 3, 2007
• Manchester Pride Parade posters, 2005
• World Aids Day Candlelight Vigil poster, 2006
• Manchester Gay Guides, 2006-2007
• Manchester City Council Equal Opportunities Policy in Service Provision, n.d.
• Newsletter on Lesbian consultation, n.d.
• 'Lesbian? Living in Manchester?' poster
• 'Proudly campaigning for the Rights of Lesbians and Gay Men' flier
• World Aids Day flier, 1 Dec 1999
• Housing Experiences Questionnaire, n.d.
• 'Say No to Section 28 National Day of Action' fliers, 15 Jul 2000
• 'Proudly campaigning for the Rights of Lesbians and Gay Men' flier
• Manchester Lesbian & Gay Mardi Gras Newsletter, 27-30 Aug 1999
• Manchester Lesbian & Gay Mardi Gras headed paper
• An Audit of Services for Lesbians, Manchester City Council, Dec 1995

Other material of interest to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has been collected by the unit. This includes material relating to Northwest Campaign For Lesbian & Gay Equality; The Albert Kennedy Trust; Rochdale Lesbian and Gay Action; North West Lesbian and Gay Coalition and miscellaneous publications / promotional material.

Records of Family and Friends of Lesbian and Gays 1967-2002 (ref: GB124.G/FFLAG) including records of Manchester Parents Group, correspondence, newspaper cuttings and leaflets.

Papers of Stanley Rowe (ref: GB124.G/ROWE/Box 9). Stanley Rowe was a youth worker in Manchester. His papers include booklets published by CHE and various youth work organisations on homosexuality, 1970s.

Papers of Allan Horsfall Allan Horsfall was founder and secretary of the North Western Homosexual Law Reform Committee (ref: GB124.G/HOR). This collection includes correspondence, minutes, newspaper cuttings, 1963-1987, and the transcript of a talk given at Manchester Town Hall in July 1987.

Quarter Sessions Court Records

Court files include brief details of cases. Deposition files include defendant and police statements taken in the course of investigating same-sex offences. Files survive for some years for Salford (GB124.A.SQS), Oldham (GB124.A14) and Manchester (GB127.M116/2/5: 1875-1951) [some items restricted access].

City of Manchester Magistrates Court (ref: GB127.M117)

Court registers from the 1940s to the 1960s record brief details, sometimes
including places, of same-sex offences.

Prison and Felony Registers (ref: GB127.M600)

Prison registers for New Bailey and Strangeways prisons dating from mid-late
nineteenth century contain details of same-sex offences. 

Manchester City Council and Committees

The Watch Committee administered the city's police service from 1839 onwards. Minutes (Council Minutes/Watch Committee/0-104, 1839-1968) and reports (352 042 M22, 1838-date, indexed from 1838-1962) are available. Reports of the Policy and Resources Committee, and Gay Men and Lesbians Sub-committees, are also available (1984-date, 352 042 M22).