A bespoke digital platform, entitled ‘OUT!’, exploring the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) life is to be launched in Manchester.
The project, funded by the Heritage Lottery, aims to bring together the variety of projects championed by organisations including EuroPride, Gaydio, LGBT Foundation, Archives+ and the LGBT Youth North West since 2003 to create a complete online archive of LGBT histories and heritage.
In 2003, as part of EuroPride, Manchester Pride developed a new heritage trail which involved the permanent installation of rainbow tiles into key locations around Manchester city centre.
These trails are still in place and mark locations of historic occurrences. The tour required the experience and knowledge of a tour guide and was specifically designed for its audience to be guided around the city, rather than to explore the locations themselves.
The new Manchester LGBT digital histories website, ‘OUT!’, will bring the heritage trail and LGBT digital histories to life and provide a central place where people can look at available resources, create links and then develop their own journeys through these different stories.
The audience will be able to create their own personalised trail based on geographic location, subject matter or time period that draws data from different LGBT heritage projects and archives. The digital tool has been appropriately named ‘OUT!’ reflecting both being ‘Out’ and exploring the flagstones outdoors.
‘OUT!’ will also provide the opportunity for crowdsourcing and digital games that enable the public to engage with, explore, research and contribute to this ever growing resource.
Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive of Manchester Pride comments; “Two of the main aims of Manchester Pride are to celebrate LGBT life in our city and to create opportunities for engagement. With ‘Out!’ we aim to commemorate and unite the rich and vibrant past by providing a factual and insightful legacy resource in one single location.”
“Our vision is to enable communities, historians and researchers, tourists and locals to learn about these histories and encourage them to contribute to the content and engage more fully with and to understand this important part of Manchester’s past.”
“I was genuinely surprised to learn that many younger people have no idea or understanding of the challenges that have faced LGBT communities over the years or the fights that have been won that allow us to live freely in this brilliant City. These histories form an integral part of the City’s life and success and we feel that, as 2015 marks the 25th anniversary of charity fundraising events celebrating LGBT life in Manchester*, this is a great time to draw focus on these stories and to record them for the future.”
Manchester Pride is currently recruiting a number of volunteer research pioneers for this project who will collate information from both the LGBT community and other sources. The funding will provide training for the research pioneers who will visit community groups, researchers and local history societies to introduce the digital tool, ’OUT!’, and gather content including videos, photography and stories.
Daniel Jessop is the Project Manager on the ‘OUT!’ Digital Histories project. Daniel’s role is to co-ordinate the volunteer programme and ensure that the project celebrates Manchester’s LGBT histories.
Daniel joins the team from working as Heritage Officer on the est.1761, Bridgewater Canal in Salford project and has been working in the arts and heritage sector for the past seven years. Daniel is keen that heritage connects communities, shares stories and excites people to look back and find out more.
Daniel said, “It’s great to join the team and make sure that stories in the LGBT community are shared. The Heritage Lottery funded project will empower volunteers through training, collecting oral histories and encouraging people to question the past and find out more. ‘OUT!’ celebrates LGBT heritage and if anyone is interested in being part of this please do get in touch.”
If anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact Daniel Jessop on daniel@manchesterpride.com.
