Carl Austin-Behan

Carl Jason Austin-Behan is a British former politician and community activist who served as the LGBT adviser to the Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2018 to 2022. 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.

He served in the Royal Air Force from April 1991 until October 1997 and in 2001, aged 29, he won Mr Gay UK.

Early life and education Austin-Behan was born in north Manchester and grew up in Crumpsall.

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.

Austin-Behan was elected to Manchester City Council as Labour Member for Burnage ward in May 2011. and his term ended in May 2017. He was Manchester's first openly gay Lord Mayor and one of its youngest at 44.

In August 2018, he was appointed the first ever LGBT advisor to the mayor of Greater Manchester. In July 2022, he left his role as LGBT advisor , and instead became an Ambassador for the LGBTQ+ Community in Greater Manchester to the LGBT Foundation.

Awards and honours RAF Safety Centre "Good Show" Award, Royal Air Force 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.

Personal life Austin-Behan married his partner of 12 years, Simon Behan in 2015. In May 2016 the Metro reported that the couple were in the process of adopting a child.