Lead pic: Peter Tatchell confronts Chief Constable of West Midlands at Birmingham Pride 2021
Human rights / LGBTQ+ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has called for West Midlands Police to be banned from this weekend’s Birmingham Pride – unless senior officers apologise for past persecution of LGBTQ+ people in the region.
“West Midlands Police should not be allowed to march in uniform or with police banners at next Saturday’s Birmingham Pride Parade, given that the Chief Constable has refused to apologise for the past persecution of the LGBT+ community. Until they apologise, the police are not welcome. No apology, no participation,” said Peter Tatchell.
“Individual officers can march in plainclothes but not the force as an institution,” he added.
Peter Tatchell wrote to Sir David Thompson requesting him to apologise: It is “time that you apologised for the past persecution of LGBT+ people by West Midlands Police. Your force was one of the most homophobic in Britain. While you are not responsible for past wrongs, you are head of the force that witch-hunted us. I hope you will draw a line under that persecution by making an apology, so we can move forward together.”
The Chief Constable wrote back to Mr Tatchell declining to apologise: ”It is difficult of (sic) me to apologise for officers enforcing the law even if those offences today seem quite repugnant.”
The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police was previously confronted by Peter Tatchell and urged to apologise as he marched in the Birmingham Pride parade with his officers last year.
Mr Tatchell explained: “An apology would not right the wrongs done to the men arrested but it would at least acknowledge that the law was wrong – not the men who were criminalised punished, stigmatised and vilified.
“Sir David apologised in 2020 to the black community for his force’s history of racism. So why can’t he apologise to the LGBT+ community?
“The Chief Constable of the Isle of Man has apologised, as have the UK government and police chiefs in Sydney, Berlin and New York. It is time the West Midlands followed suit.
“In the decades before the full decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2003, West Midlands officers arrested huge numbers of gay and bisexual men for consenting, victimless behaviour. They were one of the most zealously homophobic police forces in the country, with arrest figures above the national average.
“Upon conviction, gay men were often jailed and beaten up in prison. Others were hit with huge fines. Many lost their jobs, homes and marriages. Some were bashed by homophobic mobs, driven to mental breakdowns and even attempted suicide. With the stigma of a criminal conviction for a homosexual offence, a lot of the victims of police homophobia had great difficulty in getting jobs and housing. Their lives were ruined by the police,” added Mr Tatchell.
