Manchester to ink land deal for LGBTQ+ homes

About 50 yrs too late with such old fashioned thinking. Imagine if we still believed the need for this nonsense.

Whatever one thinks of the merits of housing being built solely for the use of groups or communities in this way, it is worth noting that the survey referred to had only ‘349 valid responses’, according to the LGBT Foundation report. Setting aside even how the question was asked and what ‘uncomfortable’ really means in this context, that doesn’t strike me as a massively strong evidence base for such a significant commitment, given other pressures.

Needed – as an option – because not all older people have progressive views on things like same-sex relationships, surprisingly, there can also be geographic and/or cultural differences, as well as the fear of past trauma returning where older LGBT+ people needing this sort of accommodation move from other places where they may be established and secure.
Presumably the experts commenting above have the same objections to people choosing the long-established Heathlands Village in Prestwich or St Joseph’s Home in Longsight, also aimed towards particular communities?
And it’s fairly normal for people of all backgrounds and identities to choose where they live because there are other people like them living there…

It’s very sad that this is needed in Manchester

I know there are still some narrow minded people – but haven’t times changed. Why can’t this just be for people who need extra care? Apologies if this is offending anyone I don’t mean to and I know things were horrific before my time – and still not as they should be. I just think the more we segregate the less we integrate. That goes for schools too. Why do religious orders of any kind receive classification as a charity?
Surely in this day an age we should all be mixing and not being siloed?

I think some people are looking at this the wrong way. This development isn’t needed because of ongoing discrimination (albeit there remains some around) but rather it reacts to the fact that LGBT+ people will often have socialised with other LGBT+ people for most of their adult lives and may wish to continue to live in an environment like that. Being surrounded with like-minded people who share similar life-stories etc can be a significant comfort. There are ethnically focussed housing associations and care homes for a similar reason. It’s about people being comfortable rather than forced segregation.

Imaging trolling developments like this because of how bad you feel about your own lives.
Well done Manchester

it’s strange we are becoming more and more religious and conservative in this region

It’s strange that Manchester seen as such a progressive city has resorted to enclaves . Other than Brighton it’s literally the last city in Britain that needs such backward thinking. This should be as inclusive as all Great Places housing is meant to be especially in these times of such great housing shortages.

Is this really needed? It’s 2024. The Gay Village was lively back in the 90s. It’s well past its heyday but most agree a lot of that is to do with the rest of the city centre becoming more tolerant to everyone – you didn’t feel you had to stay in the Village as society has moved on and a progressive step forward. This proposal feels like a retrograde step and putting barriers up. However I do realise that possibly over 65s perhaps are not as tolerant towards LGBT people their age as younger folk are and this may be what is driving this scheme.

If the rents to live here are the same as everywhere else, then I think we can say it was built to need. What conclusion should we draw if they are significantly higher, however. Surely this wouldn’t just be a cynical attempt to cash in on those perceived to have higher disposable income and lower concern about preserving wealth to pass down…

The comments policy says comments must be “constructive” and not use “offensive… language” – how on earth did comments like “this ends in war” in response to housing for a marginalised community get approved? Queerphobia is not something that ended decades ago, hate crimes have risen in recent years.

Hi Anonymous – thanks for making us aware of the comment, which has been taken down. Every now and then one slips through the cracks, and that should not have happened.

June 04, 2024 at 9:48 am

By Julia Hatmaker

In Manchester I certainly don’t feel ‘marginalised’ far from it I’m glad to say. I hope this is eventually opened up to everyone as the shortage of housing is so acute.

I Find some of these comments on here, a classic heterosexual response to something they know nothing about. LGBT people in old age struggle. The scene is very youth orientated and isolation with elderly LGBT people is a massive issue. Older LGBT people, tend to not have children and when their peers die, their social lives can end. I get that this can happen to all elderly people but being put with a group you have nothing in common with, is equally isolating. I have nursed Gay people on units, in which they have been the only one. They experience hostility at times,and ridicule, and this can stretch to narrow minded carers, particularly religious types, from other cultures. This is a superb idea. Well done Manchester. These people who make reference to tolerance,are clearly not LGBT. Violence is still commonplace, and it is similar to white people saying racism is not as prevalent as it was.

And you through your own bias Elephant assume everyone who comments is straight white young and male. I have commented above and I can assure you I am none of those things.Trying to diminish someone else’s viewpoint by replacing perceived bias with your own is not a reasoned argument. We can have special enclaves for every marginalised member of society. Is that the way we really want to go? I certainly don’t and nor it seems do many others. This may or may not prove to be a good thing , I just hope it’s not part of a trend.

I wonder how many of the comments here against this scheme, or saying there is no need for it, are regular PNW readers working in the property/development/housing sector, and how many are people who have set up Google alerts or similar for whenever something like this comes up, and feel the need to weigh in on something they appear to have no personal experience of?

I feel very conflicted about this kind of development. A large part of me says it is discriminatory to limit who can live somewhere based on their sexual orientation (whether a minority or a majority group, we are all part of the same society), and, that this will be a step towards isolating a community / literally drawing borders around them, where I would want them to feel equally free to live where I do and welcomed there. But I am not part of the community, and if it is what is wanted / needed, then fair enough.

It is very sad that the older members of the LGBT community feel that there is a need for this type of accommodation, as does the city of Manchester. People are people. Our bodies all have the same organs which function in the same way, we all have the same feelings and emotions, and the same fundamental rights as human beings. That includes being free to choose the type of relationship or identity we want. Sadly, a development like this will only result in segregating this group of people, even though they are very much a part of society like everyone else. When they were younger, they would have had jobs and contributed to the economy, yet now they are older, they have to live in fear of hate. For someone to hate another human being because they do not conform to a so-called normal is wrong, and in a sense this development is giving in to that hatred. The way we can address this as a society is to stop putting people into categories then judging them. There is clearly a long way to go before we have equality for all.