Running alongside the Rochdale Canal in the heart of Manchester, Canal Street is the beating heart of the city's Gay Village and one of the best-known LGBTQ+ destinations in the UK. Its cobbled, pedestrian-friendly stretch of bars, clubs and cafés comes alive at night, and its national reputation was cemented when it served as the backdrop for the groundbreaking TV drama *Queer as Folk*. For the trans community in particular, the Village offers something rarer than a good night out: a place to simply be yourself, dress as you choose and be seen without explanation. Nearby Sackville Gardens, home to the Alan Turing Memorial and the Beacon of Hope, gives the area a reflective side, while each August the streets fill for Manchester Pride, a celebration in which trans visibility has become an increasingly central part.