diff --git a/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/frame.rkt b/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/frame.rkt
index d5191f5e1d..4e0f82b987 100644
--- a/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/frame.rkt
+++ b/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/frame.rkt
@@ -404,9 +404,14 @@
 				  (set! reported-activate on?)
 				  (on-activate on?)))))))
 
+    (define treat-focus-out-as-menu-click? #f)
+    (define/public (treat-focus-out-as-menu-click)
+      (set! treat-focus-out-as-menu-click? #t))
+
     (define focus-here? #f)
     (define/override (on-focus? on?)
-      (unless on? (on-menu-click))
+      (when (and (not on?) treat-focus-out-as-menu-click?)
+        (on-menu-click))
       (on-focus-child on?)
       (cond
        [on?
diff --git a/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/menu-bar.rkt b/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/menu-bar.rkt
index 250f9d22e3..29dac48a4c 100644
--- a/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/menu-bar.rkt
+++ b/collects/mred/private/wx/gtk/menu-bar.rkt
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@
 
 (define-gtk gtk_widget_set_usize (_fun _GtkWidget _int _int -> _void))
 
+(define-gtk ubuntu_menu_proxy_get _fpointer
+  #:fail (lambda () #f))
+
 (define (fixup-mnemonic title)
   (mnemonic-string (regexp-replace #rx"\t.*$" title "")))
 
@@ -92,6 +95,8 @@
 
   (define/public (set-top-window top)
     (set! top-wx top)
+    (when ubuntu_menu_proxy_get
+      (send top treat-focus-out-as-menu-click))
     (install-widget-parent top)
     (fix-menu-height))
 
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/gui/labelled-menu-item-intf.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/gui/labelled-menu-item-intf.scrbl
index 4fa78d6d43..15a401e624 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/gui/labelled-menu-item-intf.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/gui/labelled-menu-item-intf.scrbl
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ Normally called when the user clicks on the menu bar containing the
  item (before the user sees any menu items), just before the popup
  menu containing the item is popped up, or just before inspecting the
  menu bar containing the item for a shortcut key binding.
+ See @xmethod[menu-item-container<%> on-demand] for further details.
 
 A @xmethod[menu-item-container<%> on-demand] method can be overridden
 in such a way that the container does not call the
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/gui/menu-item-container-intf.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/gui/menu-item-container-intf.scrbl
index f8284a6e90..0eeed8faaa 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/gui/menu-item-container-intf.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/gui/menu-item-container-intf.scrbl
@@ -21,11 +21,12 @@ Returns a list of the items in the menu, popup menu, or menu bar. The
 @methspec{
 
 Called when the user clicks on the container as a menu bar (before the
- user sees any menu items), just before the container as a popup menu
+ user sees any menu items, except with Unity's global menu bar as
+ noted below), just before the container as a popup menu
  is popped up, or just before inspecting the menu bar containing the
  item for a shortcut key binding.
 
-If the container is not a menu bar or a popup menu, this method is
+If the container is not a @tech{menu bar} or a @tech{popup menu}, this method is
  normally called via the @method[menu-item-container<%> on-demand]
  method of the container's owning menu bar or popup menu, because the
  default implementation of the method chains to the
@@ -34,6 +35,17 @@ If the container is not a menu bar or a popup menu, this method is
  it does not call the @method[labelled-menu-item<%> on-demand] method
  of its items.
 
+On Unix with the Unity window manager using the global menu bar (which
+ is the default on Ubuntu), @racket[racket/gui/base] receives no
+ notification when the user clicks the menu bar. To approximate
+ @method[menu-item-container<%> on-demand] triggered by user clicks of
+ the menu bar, @method[menu-item-container<%> on-demand] is called for
+ a @tech{menu bar} whenever its @racket[frame%] object loses the
+ keyboard focus. Beware that if keyboard focus was lost because a menu
+ was clicked, then items added to the clicked menu during an
+ @method[menu-item-container<%> on-demand] invocation may not appear
+ for the user.
+
 }
 @methimpl{