Carl Austin-Behan

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Carl Austin-Behan

| birth_name = Carl Jason Austin-Behan

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|DL}}

| image =

| image_size =

| image_upright =

| smallimage =

| alt =

| caption = Austin-Behan as Lord Mayor (2016)

| order = Lord Mayor of Manchester

| office =

| term_start = 13 May 2016

| term_end = 17 May 2017

| predecessor = Paul Murphy

| successor = Eddy Newman

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Crumpsall, Manchester, England

| party = Labour

{{Infobox person | embed = yes

| awards = Mr Gay UK (2001)

| employer = Royal Air Force
Manchester City Council }}

| spouse = {{marriage|Simon Austin-Behan|2015}}

| website = {{URL|https://twitter.com/CarlAustinBehan}}

}}

Carl Jason Austin-Behan {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|DL}} is a British former politician and community activist who currently serves as LGBT adviser to the Mayor of Greater Manchester. He served as Lord Mayor of Manchester from May 2016 to May 2017, being its first openly gay Lord Mayor. He was Labour councillor for Burnage from 2011 to 2018.{{Twitter|CarlAustinBehan}}

He served in the Royal Air Force from April 1991 until October 1997 and in 2001, aged 29, he won Mr Gay UK.{{cite web | url = http://www.mrgayuk.co.uk/past-winners/ | access-date = 24 October 2016 | publisher = Mr Gay UK | title = Past Winners}}

Early life and education

Austin-Behan was born in north Manchester and grew up in Crumpsall.{{cite web|url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200033/councillors_and_decision-making/1158/the_lord_mayors_office|title=The Lord Mayor's Office: The Lord Mayor of Manchester: Councillor Carl Austin-Behan|publisher=Manchester City Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024225448/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/200033/councillors_and_decision-making/1158/the_lord_mayors_office|archive-date=24 October 2016|access-date=24 October 2016}}

Career

Austin-Behan was discharged from the Royal Air Force in 1997 for being gay at a time when it was illegal to be openly gay in the RAF.{{cite news|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-swear-first-ever-openly-11341675|title=Manchester to swear in its first ever openly gay Lord Mayor|last=Williams|first=Jennifer|date=16 May 2016|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|accessdate=24 October 2016|location=Manchester}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/24/manchester-lord-mayor-carl-austin-behan-homophobic-abuse-justin-bieber-concert|title=Manchester lord mayor 'subjected to homophobic abuse at Justin Bieber gig'|last=Halliday|first=Josh|date=24 October 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|accessdate=24 October 2016|location=London}}

Austin-Behan was elected to Manchester City Council as Labour Member for Burnage ward in May 2011. In 2016 he was made Lord Mayor of Manchester,{{cite news | url = http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchesters-first-ever-openly-gay-11354220 | date = 19 May 2016 | accessdate = 24 October 2016 | first = Jennifer | last = Williams | newspaper = Manchester Evening News | location = Manchester | title = Manchester's first ever openly gay Lord Mayor sworn in - with an Abba quote}}{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/manchester-is-a-city-that-deserves-a-better-mayor-than-andy-burnham-a7039846.html | date = 20 May 2016 | accessdate = 24 October 2016 | first = Janet | last = Street-Porter | authorlink = Janet Street-Porter | newspaper = The Independent | location = London | title = Manchester is a city that deserves a better mayor than Andy Burnham}} and his term ended in May 2017.{{cite news|url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/carl-austin-behan-lord-mayor-13042634|title=Interesting, amazing and knackering! Carl Austin-Behan on his year as Lord Mayor of Manchester|last=Williams|first=Jennifer|date=16 May 2017|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|accessdate=13 June 2017|location=Manchester}} He was Manchester's first openly gay Lord Mayor{{cite news | url = https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/17/manchester-to-swear-in-first-openly-gay-lord-mayor | date = 17 May 2016 | accessdate = 24 October 2016 | first = Frances | last = Peraudin | newspaper = The Guardian | location = London | title = Manchester to swear in first openly gay lord mayor }} and one of its youngest at 44. In November 2017 Labour deselected him as the Labour candidate for the local elections in May 2018. He said that he was "hurt, upset and gutted" to have been deselected in favour of Momentum candidate Ben Clay.{{cite news | last = Williams | first = Jennifer | title = Manchester's first openly gay mayor blocked from standing for election as Momentum gain ground | url = https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchesters-first-openly-gay-mayor-13851561 | work = Manchester Evening News | date = 2 November 2017 | access-date = 22 February 2018}}

In August 2018, he was appointed LGBT advisor to Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham.

Awards and honours

RAF Safety Centre "Good Show" Award, Royal Air Force
Bronze Medal from the Royal Humane Society, for rescuing a pilot from a burning Hawk aircraft
1996: Mention in the Queen's Birthday Honours, with a Commander in Chief's Commendation
2001: Winner, Mr Gay UK
2019: Appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Greater Manchester. This gave him the Post Nominal Letters "DL" for Life.{{cite web |title=Deputy Lieutenant Commissions Greater Manchester Lieutenancy |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3451229 |website=The London Gazette |access-date=13 October 2021 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Carl Austin-Behan OBE DL |url=http://manchesterlieutenancy.org/austin-behan_carl |website=The Greater Manchester Lieutenancy |access-date=13 October 2021 |language=en}}
2019: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2020 New Years Honours List for services to charity, LGBTQ+ equality and the community in Greater Manchester.{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/855178/New-Year-Honours-2020.pdf |title=New Year Honours |publisher=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |date=2020 |accessdate=2019-12-28}}{{London Gazette|issue=62866|supp=y|page=N11|date=28 December 2019}}

Personal life

Austin-Behan married his partner of 12 years, Simon Behan in December 2015.{{cite news | last = Nagesh | first = Ashitha | title = Former Mr Gay UK kicked out of RAF for his sexuality sworn in as Lord Mayor | url = http://metro.co.uk/2016/05/18/former-mr-gay-uk-kicked-out-of-raf-for-his-sexuality-sworn-in-as-lord-mayor-5889753/ | work = Metro | date = 18 May 2016 | access-date = 22 February 2018}} In May 2016 the Metro reported that the couple were in the process of adopting a child.