A close-up of a poster for the ACTING UP! exhibition, it features white text on a red-and-black background depicting red blood cells.

George House Trust has made their archives freely accessible to the public at Manchester Central library.

To celebrate 40 years of George House Trust’s work in providing support, advice and information about living with HIV, the charity has worked with 8 volunteers and curator Jo Rosenthal to bring the archives to life and share the inspirational stories from activists and people living with HIV.

It aims to overcome the stigma surrounding HIV and raise awareness about living with a HIV diagnosis and how nowadays one can live a long and healthy life by taking daily medication that also prevents transmission of the infection.

The exhibition pulls together archives from ACT UP! Manchester and the LGBT Foundation among others and includes films, audio, posters and personal stories.

The real-life stories from George House Trust’s  archives that inspired the TV series It’s a Sin by Russell T Davies have now been made available to the public as part of the exhibition.

Additionally, George House Trust has commissioned 5 new oral histories as part of the project, which include interviews with 5 pioneering women who were active in the movement.

The exhibition will be displayed in Manchester Central Library from 2 April to December 2025, with an additional display in the upstairs Reading Room until 30 May 2025.


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Featured image: Emma White

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  • Emma White

    Emma White is a Geography and Politics student with a passion for environmental and gender politics. She’s especially interested in video journalism and using storytelling to highlight important social issues.

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