ACTING UP! 40 Years of HIV Activism

ACTING UP! is a love letter to the activists, artists and everyday Mancs who refused to accept silence
during the worst years of the HIV/AIDS crisis—and who continue to organise today. The exhibition, created
with George House Trust and community partners, brings together banners, oral histories, original AIDSline
logbooks, flyers and video testimonies to show how queer communities mobilised with grit, humour and
unshakeable care. Visitors encounter stories beyond the usual London‑centric narrative: women who held
activist spaces together, Black queer leaders who shaped the city’s response, and the networks that
nourished people when the state looked away. For LGBTQ+ audiences, it’s validating and galvanising; for
allies, it’s an education in how stigma is dismantled. There’s a strong focus on intersectionality and
on the living present—U=U science, peer support and the joy that remains central to queer survival.
Expect to leave with a fuller picture of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ heritage and a reminder that health justice
is part of our cultural fabric.