Bolton

Bolton is a town and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, formerly in Lancashire.

LGBT history
In 1963 there was something of a local witchhunt of gay men. "On June 26th the Bolton Evening News was agog with the story of a 'homosexual vice ring'. Ten men, five of whom worked at Bolton General Hospital, appeared at the County Magistrates Court in committal proceedings to the Crown Court in Manchester. They were aged between 19 and 57.  Prominent among them were John R, 24, an orderly, accused of 14 offences with 9 others, and Vince L, 19 years old and a soldier, up on 7 charges with two others.  The paper printed the names and addresses of all ten men."

In 1998, seven local men, known as the Bolton Seven, were convicted for consensual sex.

In the 1980s there was a Bolton CHE Group.

Ray Gosling has identified a number of other cases where the Bolton police have prosecuted gay men for apparently trivial offences.