The northern British city of Manchester has announced it is to open the country‘s first retirement community for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. There are more than 7,000 LGBT people over the age of 50 in Manchester and the number is expected to increase, the council said in a statement. The project aims to meet a need for assisted accommodation for older LGBT people where they can be open about their identity, it said. “Prejudice and discrimination can be a real problem facing older LGBT people,” Bev Craig, Manchester City Council‘s lead member for LGBT women, said in a statement. “People shouldn‘t have to face the prospect as they get older of being surrounded by people who may not accept their sexuality or gender identity.”