Gay choir to sing on Manchester trams after anti-gay attack

A gay choir is to hold a series of mass sing-alongs on Manchester trams following a recent homophobic attack on the city’s Metrolink network.

Jean Claude Manseau and Jake Heaton were singing the songs of Wicked on a tram service from Bury to Manchester in the early hours of Saturday morning (November 1) when they were subjected to verbal abuse by another passenger.

When the pair got off the tram at Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre, they were approached by the passenger, who proceeded to call over a group of 15 others. The group then began to attack the pair physically. Find out more here.

In response to the attack, The Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus has announced a series of short performances to take place later this month (November 17) on the tram service between St Peter’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens.

“All of Manchester has been horrified by this vicious attack,” the choir’s Musical director, Loz Kay, told the Manchester Evening News. “For us in the chorus it was all the more sad that it was the act of singing that sparked it. But the answer to hate has to be hope, support and asserting the right to love.”

“As it says in the lyrics of the musical Wicked: ‘you can’t pull me down’. Nobody is going to pull us down,” he added.

The event, which is supported by Transport for Greater Manchester, will use the hashtag #SafeToSing and encourage passengers on the tram service to join in the mass sing-along to show their support.