Save the Gay Centre in Manchester Petition : [ powered by iPetitions.com ]

#	Name	Comments
101	Kenny Ross	I urge you to keep the Gay Centre open as it provides an important service to young people for whom there is a dearth of services.
102	colin	hey what the hell do you think you are doing this centre is great as a member myself i dont no what i would do with out it they help me get the courage to come out in school and how to deal with it the help me come to terms with my sexuality. they also helped me when times got really bad and i felt like there was no other way to live and wanted to kill my self, but no they sat me down got me counciling and now i help other people that come to the centre with the same problems if you shut this centre the young LGBTQ people of manchester will have no where to go you really need to take the time to sort your self out.
103	Joan Armstrong	I support the essential sevices provided at the Gay Centre. To close it would be a retrograde step and tarnish the name of Manchester as a gay friendly city.
104	Sophie Laws	Horrified to hear that this centre is threatened. Please work out a way to keep it going for its positive impact on lesbian and gay people in Manchester and beyond.
105	Clayton Doyle	I attended an informal meeting about this issue last night in which Cllr Mary Murphy stated that the centre wasn't being closed as part of the Oxford Road regeneration project, but because it's in a state of disrepair & due to staff problems. Well, if the building is in disrepair then the City Council, who own it, should fix it. If it is being closed because of staffing problems, then the staff should be disciplined.
106	robert pirie-warsop
107	C Harding	I wholeheartedly support this campaign. Nationally the LGBT community are losing or having closed service and accomodation for services. Please think again and look for alternatives to closing this important centre.
108	Tony Brockman	I am appalled to hear of this threat to the centre. It has an outstanding record of success.
109	jay brennan	This would be a great loss of a very much needed service not just for manchester but for surrounding areas, as salford people go into manchester to access this service.
110	kerry maskell
111	Jaynne TYrer	I know alot of people whos lives are affected positively by the gay centre, people who ordinarily may feel like there is no place for them else where. Taking this away will hurt the confidance and over all well being of so many young people, it would be a disgrace, please don't let this happen!
112	Councillor Simon Wheale
113	Jenny-Anne Bishop	This is an important centre and resource for Young LBGTIQ people in Manchester and is also used by a large number of other volunter groups to support the LBGTIQ community which has very scant resource considering the size of the community and the socio-economic contriution it makes to Manchester. It must be retained.
114	chris	save the centre
115	Anonymous
116	Jo Bates	The more I think about this the more outraged I am. This centre is a vital site for the LGBTQI community in Manchester and beyond. I’ve only found out about it in the last couple of years after meeting some of the fabulous people that work and volunteer with LGYM and some of the other groups that use it and can only imagine having access to a space like this when I was younger. There needs to be more spaces like this not less. If the only visible, ‘officially sanctioned’ places for young people to come out into are the alcohol and drug soaked ‘scene’ and the LGF this will be an enormous step backwards. It would appear that Manchester City Council are only interested in our community as a way of pumping more money (both our own and tourists) into the Manchester economy via the Village (alcohol and drugs are a great way of keeping people politically impotent), ‘Pride,’ (consume your way to being a real gay week) and ‘pink pound’ ventures that cater to a predominantly white, middle class, (usually male) elite.
117	PETER TATCHELL
118	Tracey Naylor
119	James Field
120	Matt Smith	what's the point in shutting down a purpose built building?
121	tracy streatfield
122	Maya Chowdhry	it's important that the location is central & easily accessible by a wide range of lgbt people.
123	Sarah Flaherty	Why do the council think it's clever to destroy anything that's deemed alternative and build a shiny shopping centre over it? No one needs it, it's plain ignorance and hate.
124	Julie Virgin
125	Ray Haslam	save this centre
126	Cllr. Val Stevens	As one of the Councillors at the opening of the Gay Centre over 20 years ago and now with Executive responsibility for Diversity I can state categorically the City Council is not closing the Centre.
127	Cllr. Val Stevens	As one of the councillors at the opening the Gay Centre over 20 years ago and now with Executive responsibility for Diversity, I can state categorically that the Centre is not to close.
128	Kaitlynn All;en	Save the Centre!
129	Anonymous
130	Anonymous
131	Anonymous	It would be a great shame to lose such a valuable community resource. Last week alone the "Get Bent" attracted over 300 people to the centre which stands testament to the support of just of the groups operating from the centre.
132	Jenny March
133	Jenny March
134	Matt Foulkes	It is a highly necessary resource in the city centre and should continue to be provided
135	Misc ToMb()Y	Please send polite formal letters of support for Save The Gay Centre Campaign Collective to: Cllr. Richard Leese, Council Leader Email: r.leese@manchester.gov.uk Cllr. Val Stevens, Deputy Council Leader Email: cllr.v.stevens@manchester.gov.uk Tel: 0161 881 5853 Postal Address: Manchester City Council Town Hall PO Box 532 Albert Square MANCHESTER M60 2LA Tel: 0161 234 5000 Email: city.council@manchester.gov.uk (All local authoritities are legally obliged to respond to hard copy letters - please forward any responses directly to the campaign collective). Save The Gay Centre Manchester Campaign Collective 2007: Email: savethegaycentre[at]yahoo.co.uk Join our announcements email list via: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/save_the_gay_centre_mcr MySpace: www.myspace.com/save_the_gay_centre_mcr Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5234800993 YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/savethegaycentremcr Flickr Photos: www.flickr.com/people/save_the_gay_centre_manchester_campaign_collective/ Please keep supporting this important campaign until all of the users and user groups of the Manchester LGBTQI Centre indicate otherwise. Pink'N'Black Queeries Dearies, Misc ToMb()Y **************************************************
136	Dave Armstrong	As a former service user of the building when I came out 11 years ago, and a former volunteer at the center, with Switchboard and Icebreakers, I cannot believe that this vital community service is to be closed and I strongly object.
137	Anonymous
138	Anonymous
139	tony bethell
140	Heather
141	Christina
142	mike
143	Zowie Davy	i can not believe that the centre will be closed. i think this is another form of homo/transphobia. can you imagine if any other centre was closed down! when are people going to understand that we are all a part of the community. and more importantly we traverse all age, ethnic, religious and political dimensions
144	Anonymous	fully support what u r doin xxx
145	felix simister	This building and the groups which meet inside it are a vital part of Manchester's GLBT community.
146	Ana Cristina Santos
147	Melanie Jeffs
148	Emma Nelson
149	Francesco Alarico Quarta	I strongly disapprove the closure of the Gay centre. Being England and environment where gay people are often ridiculed, bullied and persecuted because of their sexual tendencies, the centre is a blow of fresh air for whatever wants to feel free to be exactly what they are... I thought LGYM was the sort of situation I was looking for when I was in Manchester, a great chance to meet people and share experiences... Im in barcelona now, and there's nothing here which goes even close to LGYM. Im saying this to make those who wanna shut it down aware that the service provided by LGYM is not only amazing within uk as it tops what exists in other European classical gay destination, such as the one Im at the moment. I support the organization and I demand it to stay open to keep providing support to British citizens and people from abroad Francesco
150	Lee Eyles	If Manchester CC closes this place, I will no longer be proud to be gay in Manchester, keep this place open!