A special poem to celebrate the Pride in Ageing group three years after its formation in Greater Manchester.
50 thousand of us
Old and bold Old
and not so bold
We are those older LGBTQI+ people
across all ten boroughs in Manchester
In Our Place
In June 2019 we lit a new torch
to fight yet again
for our rights
what we see as core beliefs
Dignity, Compassion, Self Worth
In Our Place
We are everywhere
Your neighbour…
Your gran, your grandad
Your brother, sister
Your uncle, aunt
Your friend
In Our Place
Pride in Ageing is still about
Our self worth…
our inner being
We are 50 plussers
50 thousand strong
Determined and feisty
In Our Place
Do we want to be taken into care?
Not now..
Not yet
We have survived Covid 19
weary often lonely
but unbowed
In Our Place
And mostly….
we have avoided care homes
where discrimination lurks
always painful and vile
when you are LGBTQ+ and older
In Our Place
Who we really are is our mantra
Our self worth is our core
As we age gracefully or
not so gracefully in 2022
In Our Place
Can we be who are truly are,
And truly want to be
in our twilight years?
In Our Place
Back in 2019
we started something new
As oldies we lit that new torch
with the LGBT Foundation
and Barclays
In Our Place
Pride in Ageing its called
For a reason…..
As young people we fought
Just to be us…
with Pride
and at Prides
Demonstrating how we felt
About Section 28
and all the pernicious rules
In Our Place
We have survived Aids
We have survived discrimination
And hate
We have lit that torch again
In Our Place
And the flame still burns brightly
For all of us
We are yet again fighting
a government and its nasty stance
on conversion therapy in 2022
In Our Place
We are all against transphobia
and discrimination
towards all of us
in Greater Manchester’s inclusive
LGBTQI+ community
Its Our Place as well as yours
We will pass on
that special torch that
we lit in 2019
To those who come after us
All of us LGBTQI+ people
“Who take a walk on the wild side”
In Our Place
Yes …
We do all care
About our dignity, self worth
and compassion
In our older years
For all of us
And all those
Who come after.
Our Place – Greater Manchester
is special for all LGBTQI+ people
Its extra special for all of us
Who are older and bolder
We still fight for our rights
And want to live here in peace
With dignity and recognition
Its…Our Place
Find out more about Pride in Ageing here.
Enjoyed reading this? Our award-winning team of reporters volunteer their time to bring you news, views and nostalgia from the over 50s community in Greater Manchester. Support the team’s running costs: spare a few quid and buy them a Ko-Fi, now!
