'Mona Lisa' art stolen in heist at cocktail bar

THE owner of a city centre bar said a photo, dubbed the 'queer Mona Lisa of Manchester, was taken off the venue's wall and stolen during a busy night's service.

- By ADAM MAIDMENT

Red Light owner Deana Ferguson and, inset, the wall missing its 'queer Mona Lisa' photograph

Cocktail bar Red Light, which is situated on Little David Street within the Kampus neighbourhood opposite the Gay Village, posted a message on Instagram warning that it had become victim to an 'art heist.

The bar's owner, Deana Ferguson, claimed that a guest had 'helped themselves to a piece of our beloved queer art' after visiting the venue last Wednesday.

The artwork was a copy of an M.E.N. article from 1992 of a woman who was told she didn't 'look gay enough' to attend the Hacienda's LGBTQ+ club night Flesh.

In the framed article, Rebekah McDonough, from Blackley, claimed she was asked by door staff to 'name four famous lesbians' and was told she wouldn't be allowed inside after failing to do so.